Green Eyes
by Dresupi
Summary: After the events at Meadowbrook, Alice is left feeling isolated and confused. How can she trust anyone when no one, not even Bruce, will believe her? Sequel to Crimson & Clover. Third installment is now up.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N at the end. Song for this chapter is 'Mad World' by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules. This takes place about 3-4 months after the end of C&C. Warnings include a slightly Dark! Alice, some references to violence. Also, if you haven't read my other fic, Crimson & Clover, you will be utterly and hopelessly lost trying to read this one. ;)**

* * *

**Alice**

"Stop bouncing around. This isn't rope-a-dope. Don't move a muscle unless you have to." Natasha grabbed Alice shoulders, squaring her stance. "Bend your knees slightly, don't lock them and pass out again."

Alice set her jaw, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm trying to help you, not be your friend, so you can give me that bitch face all you want," snapped Natasha.

"Nat. She's fine," Steve was standing at the other end of the training room. He looked antsy. They'd been working on her stance for about 25 minutes now.

"Fine isn't good enough. Fine people still get themselves killed. I have all of Manhattan's best interests at heart. If something happens to her, I'm fairly certain Banner would destroy the island."

"Fair assumption," Bruce quipped from the corner. His presence was required so Alice could work on controlling her siphon. He was reading, leaning back in a chair with his ankles crossed.

"Block," Natasha commanded, snapping Alice's attention back to the assassin's face. "Block with your hands, not your shields."

Alice concentrated on the task at hand. She had to control her shields, only use them when lives were in danger. She had to stop completely draining Bruce every time the floor squeaked. She blocked the first 4 of the Black Widow's blows, but the fifth knocked her backwards on her ass. She lay there and covered her face with her hands.

"Get up," commanded Natasha. "Get back up, or I'll stomp you into the ground."

She'd do it too. She'd do anything in the name of training.

Alice got up, her ribs aching from the blow. She assumed her stance, squaring her shoulders, bending slightly.

"Block."

She blocked all but the last of the blows this time. Seven in all, instead of blocking the last, she jumped backwards.

"Better," Natasha said.

That was the closest thing to approval she'd heard all day, so that was something. Alice shook her arms out, bouncing a bit. They'd been here for 4 hours already today. Ever since she'd healed from her injuries sustained from her kidnapping, she'd been training for at least 6 hours a day. Most of what Natasha had deemed 'soft' had turned into lean muscle. Today, Bruce was here, so they were supposed to be working on her shielding abilities. But once again, Natasha was not happy with what Alice had retained from their previous session. So, they'd been grappling again.

"Okay, let's move on," she relented.

Clint jumped up from where he was sitting in the rafters of the room. He and Alice had been working on slowing projectiles. It used less gamma than deflecting them completely.

Steve hopped up and down a few times, shaking out his muscles. He'd been leaning against the back wall, waiting for an opportunity to train with Alice. She usually shot concentrated gamma bolts at him, which he deflected with his shield.

Today, they were running a gauntlet of sorts. It had been Natasha's idea. She'd run it a few times before. They were trying to improve her stamina.

Alice excelled at gamma bolts. She'd gotten the strength just right. She could shoot them out, stop them, and make them hover, dance around or dissipate completely. She'd even been able to power up Tony's suit. That had been an accident, he'd distracted her and a rogue bolt shot him. It had powered him up to 500%, though. He was pleased.

"Somebody should wake up Tony. He's the one recording all of this," Bruce gestured to the Iron Man suit propped up in the corner.

Alice shot a tiny gamma bolt towards Tony, causing him to jump up quickly.

"Stop doing that!" he yelped. He flew up above Alice's head, hovering there. "I was awake!"

Natasha rolled out a desk chair, containing a pillow wearing one of Tony's T-shirts.

"Really, guys? My Black Sabbath? That was my most 'Iron-ic' t-shirt!" he protested, before chuckling at his own joke.

Alice shook her head.

"If you let a few arrows through, none of us will complain," whispered Natasha.

Alice snickered, "I'll see what I can do."

"Alice, take care of my shirt, okay?" Tony's metallic voice boomed from above.

"I'll see what I can do," she repeated, louder so Tony could hear her.

He pointed down to her, "It's all you, Hadouken. Give a signal when you're ready."

"I'm glad that nickname stuck," Alice quipped sarcastically.

She surveyed the room. Clint was up top, an arrow at the ready. Steve assumed his battle stance, shield in place.

The plan, they'd gone over it many times, was that Clint would shoot a few arrows to warm her up, Steve would advance. She'd shoot a few bolts his way and then all three would advance at once. They'd practiced it a couple of times before, but she'd never been able to multi-task all that well. She was pretty confident she'd give them a run for their money this time.

She bent her knees slightly; her arms loose and out to the side. She made eye contact with all three individually before nodding up in Clint's direction.

He shot one arrow. it hit the pillow dead on, whizzing past loudly.

Alice jumped. She frowned. She concentrated hard on slowing the arrow's trajectory. The next arrow slowed significantly but still struck the pillow, knocking it back slightly. Alice huffed. She had trouble with non-live targets. She simply couldn't form an emotional attachment to the pillow.

She grunted as another arrow whizzed past, striking the pillow again.

"Hold it!" called Steve, jogging up to Alice.

"Are you okay? Tired?" he asked, concerned. "Are you still having those nightmares?"

"It wasn't a nightmare, Steve. He was in my room, Thomas was in my room," she snapped.

"I know. I know you think he was. Sorry…"

"I'm sick and tired of no one believing me," she said brusquely.

"We believe you, Alice. We just think it was a hallucination…" Steve said carefully.

Alice threw up her hands, turning away from him. He reached out to touch her shoulder. She shrugged his hand away. "Just…give me a minute."

The anger coursing through her was making her hands glow. Thomas HAD been in her room. He'd eaten her Jell-O; turned on the TV…he'd been right though. No one believed poor, broken Alice.

Bruce stood, realizing something was wrong. He approached her carefully. "Alice…everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's FINE," she spat.

She'd kind of expected everyone else to think she was hallucinating. What she hadn't expected was for Bruce to agree with them. She felt betrayed because no matter what she said to him, how much she insisted, cried, wailed, or beat her fists, he didn't believe her either.

"Meh. She just needs to get laid, Banner. Might wanna work on that."

She glared up at Tony, her hands sparking. Tony flew backwards slightly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bruce reached out and slid his hand up and down her forearm. His hand felt warm and even though she wanted to jerk away, she leaned in towards his touch. It was exhausting being mad at everyone.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She looked up into his warm brown eyes. He chanced a small smile that she returned.

He tugged her in close for a quick kiss before turning to walk back to his chair. He looked back at her once before sitting down again with his book.

She sighed before turning back to everyone. Steve looked worried and a little hurt. Natasha was standing back with her arms folded impatiently. Clint had lowered his bow to wait.

"Sorry, I'm good." She pressed her lips into a flat line, walking back to her starting position. She assumed her stance again, bending her knees. She narrowed her eyes and refused to allow her mind to wander.

She nodded to Clint. The arrow whizzed past, towards the pillow in the chair, then it slowed down to a halt inches away from the pillow, the next three did the same. Steve charged forward, and Alice reached towards him, letting lose 2 gamma bolts with a cry. She still couldn't do it without crying out in pain. It did burn her arms, even if it did no lasting damage. Steve deflected both bolts before Natasha joined in the fray. Arrows went whizzing past Alice, she slowed them all with ease. Her mind felt like it was everywhere at once, deflecting blows from Natasha while sending bolts towards Steve. She tired quickly, but lasted longer than she ever had before. She ended by sending out her shield from her body. It knocked Natasha and Steve backwards.

Alice sank down to her knees, leaning forward, cradling her head in her hands. She couldn't get used to the number this did on her head. She took deep, cleansing breaths, trying to clear her mind as best she could. She rested her forehead on the ground, attempting to drown out the chatter from everyone around her.

"That was a great run that time!" Steve exclaimed.

"She still needs to last longer, that was only about 10 minutes and she's down for the count." Natasha argued.

She felt someone's hands on her shoulders. Bruce. He leaned down, whispering encouraging things to her while rubbing the tension out of her neck.

"That was amazing. YOU are amazing," he whispered. "I love you."

"Love you too," she replied weakly. She took a deep breath and sat up on her knees. She looked at Steve and Natasha, who were arguing again. Clint was retrieving his arrows from the pillow and floor and Tony was still hovering above their heads.

"Can we go?" she asked.

"I don't know. I think Natasha is probably going to want to go over a few things with you. She doesn't seem happy with your performance."

"She's never happy," Alice stated bluntly.

"Personally, I think you did wonderfully. You've doubled the time you were active from the last session. If you can keep doing that, you'll be good to go in a few months."

_He's kissing up. He knows I'm not happy with him. Oh well, I'll take what encouragement I can get, wherever I get it from._

"I need a shower. I'm going." Alice pulled her damp tank top away from her body a few times, shaking it out. "I'm sweaty." She got up to leave. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his comments had pleased her.

Bruce stayed for a few seconds before following her.

"Alice," he quickened his pace to catch up to her.

"Hmm?"

"Are you still upset with me?"

She was silent.

"You know I want to believe you, don't you? I just…I don't see how he could have done it, love."

"I know, you've explained," Alice said curtly, slamming her thumb to the scanner outside the elevator.

"I just…I get the feeling you're still upset with me."

_No shit, Sherlock. For a genius, you certainly are DUMB when it comes to a relationship with a woman._

The elevator doors opened, she stepped inside. He followed.

"I am," she said calmly.

"But…" he stammered.

"Bruce. Do you want to know the difference between you and me?"

He sighed, "What is it?"

"If the tables were turned and you were the one who came to me. If it was YOU telling me that Thomas visited you in your room and disappeared into thin air, I'd have believed you. No questions asked. But YOU, you have to have proof. You have no faith in me. You don't trust me. You think I'm crazy just like everyone else does."

"Alice, that's not fair. I have faith in you. I trust you. I know that you think you really saw him, but there's just no way…"

"I told you I saw it. I told you. I have no physical evidence, but you shouldn't need any."

"Alice…you have got to see where I'm coming from here…"

"I see exactly where you're coming from. It's the logical explanation for what I saw."

"Then why are you mad?

_How can you not know?_

Alice blinked back a few tears, "Do you love me?"

"Yes, but I don't see what this has to do with anything."

"You love me?" she repeated.

"Of course I do, Alice. You know I love you with all my heart."

"Okay, so you love me. And you know I love you."

"Yes. I do."

"And you know if I in any way thought this was a hallucination, I wouldn't push this."

He closed his eyes for a moment before nodding, "Yes, I do."

"Then please believe me," she begged. "It wasn't a hallucination. It was real. He ate my Jell-O, he turned on the TV, to the MOVIE he referenced, to the SCENE he referenced and then he disappeared."

Bruce sighed. "All of those events were still fresh in your mind when this happened, Alice. You probably saw that movie on the TV and turned it on subconsciously. You were tired. Maybe it's just a really lazy form of sleepwalking," he joked halfheartedly.

"You're really going to joke now?" she asked, exasperated.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. You've been so…intense lately."

Alice pursed her lips and took a deep breath.

"What? You have."

_I hate to do this, but…_

"If you really love me…"

"Don't," he snapped, his tone shifted from light-hearted to serious instantaneously. "Don't do that. Don't make me do this. You know I love you, Alice. I think you just should let it go, move on."

"You don't KNOW what it's like!" she yelled just as the doors opened into the common area of the Avengers Suites.

Darcy and Jane were sitting at the counter. They stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Bruce and Alice.

Bruce ignored them. "Alice, don't start this passive aggressive emo bullshit."

"Right, because you NEVER play the emo card with me…" She turned towards the living area, practically stomping back towards their 'new' apartment. He didn't follow her. She figured he'd probably take a second to cool down, apologize to Darcy and Jane and then come back here.

She slammed the door behind her, kicking her shoes violently across the room. She went back to the bedroom, throwing herself down on the bed. Painful bitter tears spilled onto the pillow. She punched it a few times for good measure before slowly sitting up. Her head was killing her. She looked around the room.

She still hadn't gotten around to decorating anything. Bruce had been pushing her to do something. She'd started a few projects, but had never finished them.

She pretty much just trained and hung around the apartment by herself. She'd stopped hanging around with Darcy or Steve. She only saw Steve when they trained together.

She was full of anger and it just spilled out onto whoever was closest.

She got up. Bruce still hadn't returned. Whatever. He never could stick these fights out. Not that she could blame him. He had an anger problem that he protected her from by simply walking away. She knew why he did it, but it was annoying that she couldn't even get mad at him when HE was the one she was most angry at.

She walked over to the master bathroom. This apartment was slightly bigger than the one they'd had before. It had 2 bathrooms, one of which was an enormous master bathroom with a huge tub and a very spacious shower. She turned the water on in the shower and stripped out of her clothes, throwing them on the floor wherever she felt like it.

The water was hot. She just stood under it for a few minutes before washing her hair. She didn't' stay in long after she'd washed herself. She exited the shower, wrapping herself in a towel and throwing all her clothes into the laundry hamper.

She left the bathroom, still no Bruce. She went back to the bedroom, went to the dresser and started getting dressed. She pulled on a tank top and shorts and took the towel back to the bathroom.

The apartment was numbingly quiet when there was no one else around, but she didn't like to have the TV on. It reminded her of Thomas.

There was still no new information on his whereabouts. All they knew about him was what they had gleaned from Dr. Samson's notes. He could manipulate anything just as long as it had wires or cords or cables. A technomancer, Tony had called him. Technokinetic was the correct term, according to Bruce. Both words certainly explained why he'd been able to hack JARVIS AND how he'd been able to shock Alice through her diode when he wasn't anywhere near the controls for it.

She'd taken to unplugging all the appliances when she wasn't using them as well. She wasn't sure how his powers worked, but she really didn't want to be chopped up by the food processor when she wasn't expecting it. It seemed a little paranoid, but the action really made her feel better. It annoyed Bruce, though. She could hear him out here every morning cursing the electric kettle for not being plugged in.

Alice paced around the kitchen, trying to decide what to do. Bruce wasn't someone to confront during an argument. He preferred to be left alone. It bugged Alice, because as bad as it sounds, she really just wanted to yell at him. He never let her, though. She had all this unresolved anger with him, and it usually chose to show itself at weird times. Like first thing in the morning, when he turned off the alarm without waking her or when he commented on what she was wearing. She felt bad, because she was lashing out at him for things that normally wouldn't bother her all that much. He turned off the alarm because he woke up before she did and he never let her sleep in so long that she was late. His comments on her clothing would usually have been met with a snarky comeback, but now she felt so hostile it almost hurt.

They still hadn't really been intimate. There had been close calls, but something always interrupted them. Alice missed being close with Bruce, she felt like she couldn't tell him anything anymore. He looked at her with sympathy and it just made her want to punch a wall.

To make matters worse, she'd been replaced at her job. They'd hired a new assistant for Pepper. Tony was still paying her for whatever reason, but she wasn't required to DO anything. She wasn't comfortable being around the apartment alone and she didn't like going to the lab with Bruce anymore, so she trained. She went to the gym for 4, 5, sometimes 6 hours a day when Natasha didn't want to spar.

She ran in the park for miles. She listened to the sound of her trainers hitting the pavement, her breath coming out in puffs and the hum of traffic and everyday life happening around her.

Any sound was better than the quiet in the apartment.

She walked over to the door, padding barefoot out to the common area to see if Jane and Darcy were still sitting there.

They were.

Alice approached them slowly and slid onto a stool to the left of Darcy. Darcy turned to look at her. She looked surprised. Jane nodded in greeting.

"Hey there, stranger," Darcy said cautiously. "What's going on? Something wrong?"

"No," Alice said quickly. "Just thought I'd come out here and visit."

"Well, we're happy to see you," Jane smiled warmly, reached across Darcy to awkwardly pat Alice on the hand.

Darcy turned her attention back to her phone. The three sat in silence for short while.

Darcy snickered, "Facebook's down. I bet it was Thomas."

Alice winced.

Jane smacked Darcy on the arm.

"Ow…oh damn, sorry, Alice, I forgot you were here," Darcy said genuinely.

"No, it's…" Alice took a shaky breath, "Well, it's not fine. It kind of hurt, but I understand why you said it. I've been preoccupied lately."

"Try batshit crazy and paranoid," Darcy muttered.

Alice narrowed her eyes, "Batshit crazy or not, I still have feelings, Darcy."

"Sorry. I have no filter," she looked remorseful.

"I know, I'm just…I'm so sick of being angry." Alice put her forehead down on the cool countertop.

"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Jane asked. "I really don't know what happened, to be honest…Tony was kind of vague and Thor won't discuss it."

Alice sighed, "I don't know if I'm allowed to talk to you about it."

"I don't care. I'm sick of all this secrecy. Obviously, it isn't helping you at all. I miss my friend dammit," Darcy said, slamming her fist on the counter. "We'll go back to my apartment and we'll get out the ice cream I just bought, then you can unload on us."

"Your apartment smells like old shrimp," said Jane, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, well, Alice hasn't been over to clean it while I'm at work," said Darcy, looking at Alice pointedly. "She's been too busy working out more than Natasha and developing those washboard abs and scary runner's legs."

Alice blushed. "My abs aren't washboard."

"You have a six-pack plus two and I'm pretty sure you could crack a walnut in your butt."

"You mean with her butt," Jane corrected.

"No." Darcy said pointedly. Jane made a face.

"Ouch," Alice grimaced. "I guess I've been using the gym as an escape."

"Ya think?" Darcy quipped. "Okay, so I'll grab the ice cream and we'll meet at Jane's? Or do you want to go to yours, Alice?"

"I don't think a room full of crying women is what Bruce would want to come home to after the way I treated him earlier."

Darcy nodded in agreement, "I'm not saying the way you treated him earlier was irrational, I'm just in agreement about the first part."

"Thanks, Darcy, you don't have to be on my side. I know I'm being silly and irrational."

"I'm pretty sure you're not being either of those things…I am sure, however, that Bruce doesn't know what you're thinking about because you're not telling him. That DEFINITELY sounds plausible."

"I've tried, Darcy. I just feel so betrayed because he doesn't believe me." Alice said sadly, pulling on the bottom of her tank top.

"Well, let me go get the ice cream and I'll meet you two lovelies at Jane's." Darcy turned and squeezed Alice's hand quickly. "Chin up, Tennessee."

Alice followed Jane back to her apartment. She and Thor kept separate apartments and just switched back and forth between them. Alice was starting to wish that she and Bruce had done that. There had been times when she wished that she could just be alone without alienating Bruce.

Jane's apartment was cute. She had the stereotypical pictures of flowers and wheelbarrows. She also had what looked to be the entire Metropolitan collection from Pottery Barn. The only reason Alice knew that was because there was a Pottery Barn catalog open on the Metropolitan Round Coffee Table to that exact page. Alice was slightly amused. Jane was the type of person who wanted to have pretty things, but didn't have the time or didn't want to waste the time to pick them out. She probably searched the catalog until she found something she liked and ordered every piece. Alice had considered doing that for about 5 seconds before she almost retched at the idea of having the exact same furniture as someone else.

She had to admit, though, it did look nice in here. Jane seemed to like it, so it didn't bother Alice.

Jane showed Alice inside. Her kitchen was meticulously clean. There were the few odd items in the living room that indicated someone lived here: a discarded sweatshirt, a pair of balled up socks, Mjolnir. Alice smiled when she saw it. It made her ache deep inside when she thought of how little she and Bruce shared nowadays. A tear slipped down her cheek, she brushed it away quickly, hoping Jane hadn't seen it.

Jane scooped up the sweatshirt and the socks and slid all the catalogs and magazines into a pile in the middle of the coffee table. Alice sat down on the couch, drawing her feet up underneath her. She'd never really had a conversation with Jane unless Darcy had been there. She really wished she'd taken the time to get to know her. Besides Pepper, there weren't any other women who knew what it was like dating a superhero. Maybe they should start a club.

Darcy came bustling into the apartment without bothering to knock. She and Jane must be more like sisters, anyway. She sat down on the couch beside Alice and pulled out three pints of Ben & Jerry's: Cherry Garcia for herself, Phish Food for Jane and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough for Alice.

"Darce, you have my favorite."

"Of course I do."

"But…we haven't hung out for weeks."

"I know…I just kind of keep replacing it in the hope that you'd want to hang out again. Aren't you glad I did?"

Alice reached over, hugging Darcy around the neck, letting her head drop to her shoulder. She pulled back, but Darcy tightened her hold.

"Not so fast, bitch. I needed that as much as you did."

Alice laughed quietly and sat back when Darcy released her hold, both girls sniffing a bit.

Jane walked out from the kitchen, having retrieved some spoons. She'd taken her time, probably letting Darcy and Alice have their moment.

She handed one to each of them and they all dug into their ice cream.

Alice hadn't had any ice cream in so long. She'd adopted a Natasha-approved diet that did away with anything that tasted good, but she'd been feeling so utterly empty lately that she hadn't really noticed how much she missed her comfort food. What she wouldn't give for a plate of her Grams' biscuits and gravy right now. She felt a pang of grief when she thought about her Grams. She hadn't thought about her in a while either. She allowed herself to.

"I'm not sure where to start…" Alice began.

"Just start wherever. We'll keep up," said Darcy encouragingly. She slipped her arm around Alice's shoulder, letting her lean back into her side. Alice wasn't generally a touchy feely person, but she was enjoying the human contact that she hadn't been getting lately.

Alice began regaling both women of what she was sure could be labeled the single worst week of her life. She told them how helpless she'd felt when she'd been drugged, when that horrible woman had held her face into the pillow when Dr. Samson had operated on her brain stem, implanting the control diode, without anesthetic. She'd either passed out from the pain or oxygen deprivation, she wasn't sure which.

She told them about her failed escape attempt, how she'd been caught and beaten.

She told them how Dr. Samson had tortured her to leech gamma energy from Bruce, how Thomas had in turn, tortured Bruce. How Zeke had died, trying to save her. How her head still hurt sometimes just like it had when the diode had been implanted.

That was the end of what she actually remembered.

The rest of it had been gleaned from Bruce and Tony. How she'd floated up in the air, how she had murdered the gamma freaks and then Dr. Samson.

She'd enacted 'Alice-Justice', a term coined by Tony.

By the time she'd finished, she was sitting forward in her seat. Her ice cream was melting on one of Jane's stone coasters and tears were running down her cheeks in torrents. Jane and Darcy were staring at her, mouths open and aghast.

She looked nervously between them, worrying that she'd scared them off. She wiped her face so she'd have something to do with her hands.

"Oh, honey," Darcy blurted, reaching forward to hug her again. "Oh, honey, we didn't know."

Jane leaned forward to hug her as well, which took Alice by surprise, given that they rarely ever talked to one another.

They just sat there for a few minutes, Alice finally let the tears fall for the right reasons. She grieved for the person she had been and the person she could never be again.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Darcy asked later, when they'd composed themselves and were all sitting together on the couch, red-eyed and sniffing.

"I wasn't allowed to, I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to now…and I was worried you'd hate me once you knew…"

"Honey…" Darcy began. She was getting some mileage out of that moniker this evening. "Those were BAD people. Those people you killed. They were BAD. They were trying to kill you, kill your friends, and kill your man. They deserved what they got."

"Thank you for killing them," Jane said quietly.

Alice looked over at her. "What?"

"Thank you. Most people don't realize that Thor's not…he's not immortal, he's just a LOT stronger than humans are…those things, they could have killed him. Thank you for killing them first."

Alice realized why Jane had hugged her. To thank her for saving Thor. To be honest, the thought never really crossed her mind. Apparently, when she went all glowy and floaty, she enacted strict justice. It wasn't really anything personal. She just did what needed to be done.

Alice was silent. She nodded slightly at Jane, who gave a tight smile in return.

"Alice, are you…talking to someone?" asked Darcy.

"A therapist, you mean?"

"If that's what you kids are calling them these days…" Darcy joked nervously.

Alice shook her head, "No."

"Why not?" Jane probed. "I mean, surely SHIELD…"

"SHIELD doesn't know about that last part…the part where I systemically murder 7 people."

"What? How could they not know about that?"

"Tony thought it would be better for me if they didn't know. Less intrusive investigation. Downside is I'm kind of on my own now. It feels good talking to you guys about it, though."

"I can't imagine…what about Bruce? What does he say about this?"

Alice looked down at her hands. Her cheeks flushed and she felt the lump rising in her throat again. When she spoke, her voice sounded thick.

"Bruce doesn't say anything."

* * *

**Bruce**

She had stalked off down the hall, leaving him in the kitchen to deal with the prying, sympathetic eyes of Jane and Darcy.

"Sorry about that…" he muttered apologetically, turning to leave before they could respond. He didn't want their opinions. He knew he wasn't handling this well. Swearing and losing his temper wasn't going to do either of them any good.

He boarded the elevator again and went down to the lab. To a rarely used level of the lab.

He wasn't used to this.

He wasn't used to being angry. Whenever he got angry, the Other Guy usually took over. Bruce didn't have to worry, really. In a sense, the Other Guy took care of him in that way.

Now that Alice was handling the Other Guy, Bruce had to relearn how to deal with these feelings. And he wasn't really excelling at it.

He hated making her cry. And he knew she was crying. He knew it was his fault. But what did she want from him? He wasn't going to lie to her and tell her he believed her.

There had been no spike in gamma energy in the recovery room. It was rigged to track it (considering its inhabitants). If Thomas needed gamma to survive, it would stand to reason that he'd emit it when he teleported. The only blips of gamma came when Alice had freaked out a couple of times from nightmares and hallucinations.

He opened his laptop and started working on the tracking logarithm again. He wanted more than anything to find Thomas and present Alice with his head on a platter. If he could just remove this one humongous thorn from her side, maybe they could get back to what they were.

It was becoming an obsession that surpassed all his other work in importance. He was constantly tweaking the equations, searching, always searching.

Angela was somewhat easier to track. She'd apparently tried to jump the border into Canada, but was detained by border patrol. (Thanks to Tony).

When they'd gone into the interrogation room, she was gone. Vanished without a trace.

She was travelling with Thomas, he knew it. That little creep was an escape artist. Not to mention he could slip past any electronic security without detection.

Alice was different. Changed irrevocably by her kidnapping and subsequent imprisonment. She was rough and cold. Paranoid. She was training all day, every day. Everything soft about her was gone. He couldn't blame her. She'd been in arguably the safest building in the country, surrounded by powerful assassins and superheroes and she'd STILL been taken from under their noses.

She hardly ever smiled anymore. She was constantly on edge.

In short, it was killing him. He loved her so much and wanted to fix it, wanted to take it all away. But, she wouldn't let him close enough. It had made him hopeful when she'd leaned into his touch and returned a smile earlier in the training room, but she'd followed it up with an argument in the elevator and now here they were. She was probably crying alone in the shower and he was hiding like a coward in the lab.

He sighed and closed down the tracking program. That wasn't going to help with anything right now.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

***sniff* Breaking my heart, you guys...I hope I didn't make Bruce too mean with his 'emo bullshit' line. I honestly think he's 100% done with all of this and wants his old Alice back. Unfortunately, I don't think his old Alice exists anymore. *sob* I hope they can work all this out. **

**Logan's coming, don't worry! **

**Early! I got this up early! I was just so excited for everyone to see it, I couldn't wait until Monday. However, this is going to be updated once weekly. It's all written, but I'm currently writing the third installment, and I want to have enough time to finish the rough draft and clean it up for my beta so there's no delay between this one and the next one, if that makes ANY sense at all. It's looking like this one's going to be around 20 chapters long, so shorter than C&C. **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, I do however, own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Jules, Thomas and Preston. This is all completely written, and I'll be updating on Wednesdays.**

**Special thanks to my beta, TimeLord98. :)**

**Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined! Tell me what you think! I live for your kind and helpful reviews! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Lego House' by Ed Sheeran. Warnings include kissy face/making out, perhaps some second base action. Language.**

* * *

**Alice**

_"I can't imagine…what about Bruce? What does he say about this?"_

_ Alice looked down at her hands. Her cheeks flushed and she felt the lump rising in her throat again. When she spoke, her voice sounded thick. _

_ "Bruce doesn't say anything." _

"What do you mean, 'Bruce doesn't say anything'?" asked Darcy, her expression quizzical.

"Well, he's had experience with this stuff before, you know…"began Alice.

"Yeah…" she nodded expectantly. Her expression was unchanging. Jane's face mirrored Darcy's.

"This is how he deals…he just…doesn't. I guess he figures if that works for him, it works for me too? I don't even know."

She didn't. Not really. It wasn't that he was being cold to her. He was just…refusing to talk about anything that he thought would cause an argument. It was unbelievably frustrating.

"That's insane. Everyone's not wired the same," Darcy said.

"It's not like he SAID that to me, he's not being deliberately—" Alice started.

"Nope. Alice, you have to force him to talk to you about it. This is not healthy. I know you. You need to talk about things, even if you're just saying the same stuff over and over again. You have to talk about it so you can come to grips with what happened. What you did, it was a good thing in the long run, but I cannot even imagine how terrible it was for you," Darcy frowned, her expression sympathetic.

"Look…don't. Don't pity me. I hate that," Alice snapped.

"Sorry, honey. Jane and I, we're here for you and everything, but I don't think we can help you. I just wish Bruce would talk to you about it. HE'S actually gone through this before. HE knows what you're feeling. HE is the one you should be talking to." She was silent for a moment. "What about Steve?"

"What about him?" asked Alice.

"Have you talked to him? He's been to war, he's killed people I'm sure. I bet he'd talk to you."

"I bet he would too, if I was allowed to talk to him about it."

"Why can't you tell Steve?"

"Well, think about it, Darce. Steve's 'Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes', he'd insist we tell SHIELD and then I'd be whisked away to some lab or military base and kept there, safe from the public, for the rest of my days."

"You can't possibly think they'd do that."

"If she can't control her abilities, they would," Jane agreed.

Alice shrugged, "So, that's why I'm training so much. I have to get this under control. Then, when we do tell SHIELD, they'll be less apt to commit me to Arkham Asylum."

"Is that really what it's called?"

"Nah, I'm waxing poetic."

"Waxing dorketic."

"Thanks, Darcy. I've missed you."

"Me too, kid."

They were silent for a few minutes. Alice mashed her ice cream around with her spoon before setting it down on a napkin on Jane's coffee table. The others looked suddenly disenchanted with their frozen treats as well.

Darcy clapped her hands together suddenly, "So, I definitely think you should force Bruce to talk to you about this. Tell him you're not handling things well. Afterwards, he can hold you while you cry and make gentle love to you by candlelight, or whatever it is you guys do."

Alice scoffed, "Not that."

"What, it's not gentle?"

"No, it's non-existent. We haven't done…THAT yet."

"Wait…you guys haven't…you haven't at all?"

Alice shook her head, "Nope."

"What the hell, Vorso?"

Alice looked alarmed.

"Are you able?" Darcy asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, I guess. I've got a pretty good handle on my siphoning abilities, so I keep him pretty calm most of the time."

"Then, what's the hold up? I'm pretty sure a nice swift dose of endorphins is just what the doctor ordered."

Jane looked as if she wanted the couch to swallow her up.

"I don't know, Darcy. We've kind of, gotten into the ballpark, so to speak. But something always interrupts us. Usually Tony. I swear he has some kind of radar or something."

"So, go check into a hotel for the weekend. I'm sure you both could use a break from being here."

Alice blushed, "I don't know if Bruce would want to tear himself away from work for a weekend. He's really caught up in whatever he's doing. He won't tell me what it is, though."

_Probably thinks I'm too stupid to understand it…_Alice thought bitterly.

"He's a fucking moron if he wouldn't tear himself away from work at the prospect of sleeping with you."

"Darcy…" Alice shifted uncomfortably. She didn't want to ask him because she didn't want to get rejected. That was all there was to it.

"I'm serious. What is his deal, anyway? Have you SEEN you lately? I mean, you were pretty hot before, but now, you're all kick ass and muscly. I bet he could bend you into any shape he wanted."

Alice's blush deepened. "Darcy…"

"I'm going to ask him," she warned.

"Darcy, don't. He's a really private person. He'd be upset and embarrassed if he knew I was talking about this."

"Fine, I won't ask him…but seriously. It's been 8 years for him, right? I figured he'd be jumping you any chance he got."

"Yeah, me too," Alice said in spite of herself. Darcy studied her expression.

_That was really meant to be internal…_

"You know…"Jane began, subtly saving Alice from more of Darcy's well-intended meddling, "You could always just tell JARVIS to set your status to 'Do Not Disturb'. Tony has a screen with all our names on it and everyone's status is set to 'available' unless you instruct JARVIS otherwise."

"You can do that?" Alice asked, surprised.

"Yeah, that's what Thor and I do. Then, he can't bother you unless it's an emergency. I usually just leave mine set to 'Do Not Disturb', then my life tends to be a lot less annoying."

"I will do that, then…"

_That could work…definitely. Maybe it's not me. Maybe Bruce is just…really busy with work. He always seems pretty into it when we fool around, I'll bet that's all it is._

Alice looked around, tapping her fingers on her knees. She stood to start cleaning up her ice cream mess. She tried to think of a way to excuse herself that DIDN'T make her look like a crazed sex fiend.

"Go. Talk to him," Darcy said.

"Now?" Alice tried and failed to look surprised at the idea.

"Yes, now. I'll help Jane clean up. You go get some."

"Some? Really? I wasn't aware people still said that."

"I just did," Darcy winked.

Jane chuckled at that. "Alice, I don't know you all that well, but speaking from the perspective of Dr. Banner's co-worker…he needs to unwind a bit." She bit her lip, trying not to laugh. "He's…frustrated."

Alice giggled.

"Dr. Banner wasn't always the easiest person to work with, but he's definitely worse when he's…"

"HORNY. When he's horny. Good grief, Jane, you're a grown woman. You can SAY THE WORDS."

"Frustrated is a nicer way of putting it," Jane argued.

"Wall punching, fly crushing, short tempered (and that's saying something), leg bouncing kind of frustrated. It's easier to just say horny."

"Thanks for straightening that out, Darce. I totally didn't get what Jane was saying," Alice replied sardonically.

"Talk to him, though. Don't put that off," Darcy added. "Get your kicks, sure, but don't let him off the hook for not being there for you."

"I won't, I won't…" Alice said reassuringly.

She stood to leave. "Thanks for the ice cream and…everything," she smiled tightly. Darcy stood and hugged her tightly. Jane slipped an arm in as well.

"Anytime, Alice," Jane said. "I'd like to get to know you more…I guess we have a lot in common… at least in our masochistic choice of significant other."

"I'd like that, thanks Jane," Alice replied. "Darcy, I'm sorry I've been so distant."

"It's okay, kid. I understand, I really do. Don't be a stranger."

"I won't be." She turned to leave. She stopped, looking down at her clothing. "Is what I'm wearing…is it okay?"

"For?" Darcy squinted. "OH! For _seduction_?" She wiggled her shoulders.

"Yeah… for THAT."

"Umm…yeah, I'd say it would work. Lose the bra, though."

"Really?"

"Yeah…it's a sports bra…and probably sweaty. If nothing else, it frees things up for…foreplay."

"We've done plenty of that," Alice assured her.

"It's not foreplay unless it precedes something. It's just fooling around otherwise."

"Okay well, we've fooled around plenty."

"What kind of fooling around?"

"Darcy…" said Jane.

"What? I'm living vicariously. Plus, I'm a more than a little curious as to how Bruce fools around. I would think he'd be really…awkward."

"He's not awkward!" exclaimed Alice defensively. "He knows his way around. He's done this before, you know."

"I just meant…he looks like he'd be the type to just…kind of…gloss over things."

"If he were the type to gloss over things, we'd have gotten to the sex stuff already."

"Sex stuff. How clinical."

"Haha. Let's just say…he is very attentive. He brings that scientific mind of his with him everywhere."

Darcy looked surprised.

"He's very thorough…" Alice added dreamily.

Jane jumped up. "Okay, I've heard enough. I have to work in the same lab as him, remember that."

"Sorry. I'm going to get going…I'll see you guys later?"

"We'd better see you later. I want details," said Darcy, waggling her eyebrows.

She walked towards the door, "Thanks, you guys."

"No problem. Now GO!" Darcy urged.

"Bye, Alice!" called Jane.

She exited Jane's apartment and walked down the hall with purpose. She breezed past Steve and Clint in the kitchen.

"Natasha's upset with you for leaving before she got a chance to talk to you." Clint called after her.

"I couldn't care less right now, Clint."

"He's in the lab, if you're looking for Bruce." Steve called a little louder, since Alice had disappeared down the hall.

She went into the apartment anyway, slipping out of her bra. She changed into a pink camisole top instead of the black lycra tank top she was wearing. She pulled on a pair of flip flops and turned to leave again.

She walked past Steve and Clint in the kitchen again. She ignored their attempts at conversation. She didn't want to lose her nerve.

She waited patiently for the elevator. It dinged and opened to a very perturbed Natasha. Alice jumped slightly in surprise, feeling her shield pop up around her.

"What the hell were you thinking? We had a recap to do. Go sit at the table. We'll go over it now, I guess, even though I've lost a lot of my initial reactions," Natasha sighed in annoyance.

"Not now, Natasha." Alice said bluntly, stepping around her and into the elevator.

Natasha widened her eyes in surprise, she wasn't really used to Alice talking back or taking initiative. She usually just barked orders that Alice grudgingly followed.

The doors to elevator closed and Alice let out the breath she'd been holding. She felt a cold sensation as her shield retracted. She smiled at her reflection, proud of herself for standing up to Natasha.

"Where to, Miss Vorso?" JARVIS's calming voice penetrated the silence.

"Sorry, JARVIS. Where's Bruce?"

"Dr. Banner is in level 3 of the laboratory."

"Is he alone?"

"Yes, Miss Vorso."

"Can you turn off the security camera footage and make sure we won't be disturbed?"

"I will, Miss Vorso. To the level 3 lab?"

"Please."

She bounced on the balls of her feet. Her heart was racing. This really wasn't her territory. Bruce was usually the one who initiated this stuff. Not that she didn't want to. He usually just beat her to it. He'd been stand-offish lately, though. Not that she could blame him. She'd closed herself off from everyone.

She silently hoped that was the case. She hoped he wasn't already bored with her. It was something that always nagged her. Ever since she found out that Zeke had cheated on her for practically their whole relationship, she'd been secretly worried that she just wasn't interesting.

When the elevator doors opened, she practically ran down the hall to the lab entrance. She wanted to do this before she lost her nerve. She used her access code and entered. The door beeping as she opened it.

She took a quick look around. This level of the lab was slightly different from the main level. She spotted Bruce towards the middle of the room, his lap top open in front of him. He was bent slightly forward, one hand on the mouse, one bracing himself on the counter.

She smiled. She loved watching him when he was working. She remembered back to the first time she saw him, when she thought he looked too bookish for her. Now, looking at him with his glasses pushed back on his nose, eyes slightly narrowed, bottom lip between his teeth. She still thought he looked bookish, but the word didn't carry such a negative connotation as it once had.

She now knew for instance, that those eyes that were so carefully scrutinizing the computer screen were also capable of sending looks in her direction that were at once so scorching and so loving, that she felt she could melt into a puddle under his gaze. She also could think of a few things he did with his hands and lips that had the same effect.

Even with those steamy memories floating around her mind, she still couldn't shake the fear that he'd reject her.

She walked towards him, trying to keep as quiet as possible. She couldn't sneak up on him. She never could, but she didn't want to disturb him so much that he lost his train of thought…at least not yet.

When she reached him, she panicked as she realized that she really was out of her element.

_Oh god. What do I do? Why can't I just be effortlessly sexy like some women are? I'm so freaking awkward. What do I do with my hands? Should I lean against this counter? No. That's dumb. He's going to look over at me in a minute and I'm just going to be standing here like a moron…_

_ Maybe I should just sweep everything off the counter and hop up onto it…that's sexy, right? _

_ Except…this looks important…so does that…and there's the laptop…maybe I could just stack everything up and move it to the side…THEN I'll hop up…_

She stacked up the loose papers and notebooks, being careful to mark his place in the books he had open. She slid his tea to the side and was looking for a place to set everything when she noticed he was looking at her.

"Tidying up?" he asked quietly.

"Um…I was going to sit on the counter, but I didn't want to ruin anything you were doing here, so I was just trying to clear myself a spot…"

He took the stack of notebooks and papers from her, setting it on the other side of his laptop. Then, he placed his hands on her waist and effortlessly hoisted her up on the counter. Her stomach swooped.

She looked at him in surprise.

"These are a little tall, I didn't want you to hurt yourself," he smirked faintly.

"Thank you."

He turned back to his laptop, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes."

"Good," he said brusquely.

Her heart sank for a moment. _He's upset about earlier…_

She started swinging her feet nervously, holding on to the front of the counter with her hands. One of her shoes slid off onto the floor.

_Awesome…try to spin that, Klutz._

"I'm not getting that for you," he chided, a faint smile on his lips.

"That's fine. I don't really need them anyway," she let the other slide off too.

_Good job genius, now if he had a foot fetish, we'd be in business._

He closed his laptop and removed his glasses, placing them on top of the computer before pushing it back from the edge of the table. He looked up at Alice. "Alice, we need to talk about what happened earlier."

_Oh, but his lips look yummy…his eyes are so pretty…I don't want to talk right now…_

"Okay," she reached over and pulled on his arm. He allowed himself be dragged over in front of her.

"Alice…you know I love you. I am trying to be here for you, but you aren't letting me in. I think the best thing you can do is try to move on…"

Truthfully, she wasn't really paying attention to the words passing his lips. She was too preoccupied with the lips themselves. She ran her fingers through his hair, causing him to stammer before he stopped talking completely. His eyes closed.

_I can do this, I can. _

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She pressed her lips to his furiously, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He tasted like chamomile tea, probably what he was drinking. He was still talking or trying to, it was coming out muffled.

She pulled back from him, her hands still in his hair. "What was that?" she grinned.

He was breathing heavily. "I don't remember, just please don't stop," his voice was low and raspy.

She felt a chill run through her as she increased her siphon. She kept a small one on him most of the time. It had become almost second nature, like breathing. She really only noticed when he was stressed, angry or overly excited about something. Like he was right now.

_Excited. Yeah, that's the word for this..._

"But, I thought you wanted to talk…" she teased, ducking out of his reach when he tried to kiss her again.

"Just…shut up and kiss me," he murmured, a salacious grin spreading.

"Be nice," she chided, ducking away again.

He reached to her right and swiped everything off the counter. The laptop fell with a crash to the floor. The books fell with a thud, papers fluttered down around them.

She bit her lip, holding back a grin, "Nice."

He launched himself at her. Their tongues and teeth collided, the kiss was almost painful.

She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, his hands felt like they were everywhere at once. She bit down gently on his bottom lip, causing him to growl softly. He slid his hands down around her thighs, pulling her closer. He ground himself into her, running his hands back up to her hips. She pulled her mouth away from his and ran her hands up his chest up to the neckline of his shirt.

She popped open the first button, then the second, unbuttoning his shirt at a deliberately slow pace. He pulled her hands away and latched onto her mouth again, unbuttoning his shirt quickly and untucking it.

She pushed back from him again, sliding her hands underneath the button up. To where his chest was still covered by a t-shirt.

"I hate these," she said softly, pulling on the collar of the shirt.

"I'll burn every single one of them," he promised, lowering his lips towards hers again.

She ducked away, dragging her fingertips up the side of his neck and jawline. He shivered and moved his hands back down to her hips, gripping urgently.

"Stop that," he pleaded.

She pulled her hand back quickly.

"No, stop ducking away from me. Kiss me, please," his eyes were dark. His lips were red and swollen from her ferocious kissing and nibbling. His hair was all mussed from where she'd run her hands through it.

"I don't think I've ever been able to deny you anything," she whispered, leaning forward to kiss him again.

He moaned into her mouth, his hands on the move again, roving wherever he could find skin. One was up, cupping her face, fingers stroking her earlobe. The other was slowly inching up her shirt, around to her lower back, where he applied a small amount of pressure, causing her to arch into him.

He pressed his lips to her throat, seeking her pulse point, making her gasp. He smiled into her skin. "You are incredible," he whispered, his lips tickling her.

"You're not so bad—"

She was interrupted by his lips crashing down on hers again.

She took his bottom lip in her teeth again, pulling and dragging them along. He grunted, pressing his hips into hers again.

His hand that had previously been on her back was slowly creeping upward and around to her chest. Her breath caught in her throat and she pulled him towards her, kissing him ravenously, her hands wandering aimlessly before settling on his t-shirt again. She groaned in frustration when she realized that she had forgotten to unbutton his cuffs and didn't want to stop his hands on their current expedition, creeping steadily towards her breasts. She latched her mouth onto his collarbone, sucking hard and causing him to jump. She pulled at his t-shirt hard and sighed happily when she felt the jersey cotton rip apart in her hands.

His hands were almost to their destination, her breath was coming out raggedly, it was the only sound besides the tearing of his shirt as she slowly tore it open, revealing his chest.

His fingers skated up her rib cage, she ceased her current activity, leaning back and arching into his touch. Her body remembered all too well what those hands were capable of.

"Dr. Banner, my apologies, but Mr. Stark has requested that both you and Miss Vorso meet him in the penthouse," JARVIS interrupted.

Bruce collapsed onto Alice, his face on her shoulder. He groaned exasperatedly, clutching her waist.

"JARVIS, I thought I requested that we not be disturbed?" Alice asked, noticeably annoyed.

"You can do that?" asked Bruce.

"Apparently not," said Alice begrudgingly.

"Yes, ma'am. However, an emergency situation arose and Mr. Stark needed to override your status settings. My apologies."

Alice sighed in frustration.

"Mr. Hogan will be here to escort you in approximately 45 seconds."

"What?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Bruce quickly tried to button his shirt. Alice smoothed her hair and searched for her shoes.

Happy strolled into the lab right on schedule. He walked back to the two of them. Bruce was still frantically trying to button his shirt.

"Dr. Banner, Ms. Vorso," he greeted them.

"Happy…" Alice said loudly. Louder than she intended. She coughed, "How's Jules?"

He peered at her curiously, "She's fine, Ms. Vorso, didn't you see her this morning?"

"You're right, I did…" she looked nervously over at Bruce.

"What happened to your t-shirt?" Happy asked, trying and failing to disguise a chuckle.

"I snagged it on a screw," Bruce said quietly.

"Hmmm. Must have been a very enthusiastic screw." Happy said absently, looking around the room.

"It was, until it was rudely interrupted."

Alice was certain that her face was beet red. She pulled Bruce's hands away from where he was trying to button his shirt. She finished buttoning it and straightened the collar. She ran her hands up to his hair, trying to minimize the damage there, while he tucked his shirt and adjusted himself. She started to turn, but he pulled her in for a quick kiss before they turned to leave with Happy.

She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned into Bruce on the elevator.

"Are you cold?" he asked her quietly.

"No, I just am suddenly aware that I'm not wearing a bra."

"You're not wearing a bra?"

She shook her head.

"Killing me, Vorso," he groaned quietly. He slipped his arm around her waist. "I'd offer you my button up, but I ripped my undershirt on a very enthusiastic screw."

She stifled a grin. "Sorry about that."

He shook his head, smiling. "Don't apologize."

She leaned her head over on his shoulder.

"Don't ever apologize for the very enthusiastic screw."

She giggled and slipped her arm around his waist. She turned her face into his shirt, inhaling his scent. He pressed a kiss into her hair.

"I'm going to punch Tony Stark right in the face," he stated.

"I didn't hear that," Happy said nonchalantly.

Bruce smirked. Alice just sighed, looking up at him. "Hopefully this 'emergency' won't take long…did he specify what kind of emergency it was, Happy?"

"Intruder."

"And he needs US for an intruder? What, is he trimming the budget by laying off security?"

"I'm not certain. He hasn't laid off any security to my knowledge. The extent of what I know, is 'Intruder'," Happy shrugged.

The elevator opened into Tony's penthouse. Tony was standing by the bar, pouring two glasses of what looked to be straight bourbon. The whole room held the acrid stench of cheap cigar smoke. It reminded Alice a lot of the piano bar her Pops owned. There was a cloud of thick smoke coming from the center of the room, where a man was seated on the couch.

All Alice could see was the back of the guy's head. She could also see that he was ripped. His shoulders were so wide, they almost rivaled Thor's. He was wearing a white tank top undershirt, a 'wife-beater'. His hair was dark and combed in a weird way.

She searched the room for Pepper and found her standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She looked strange. If Alice didn't know any better, she'd say she was frightened. She cut her gaze back to Tony, who was walking back towards the man on the couch with the two glasses. He handed one to the man and took a large swig out of his own. Tony looked up to Bruce and Alice at this point. Happy had assumed his bodyguard stance: standing menacingly in the back of the room where he could see everything. Tony motioned for him to leave. He protested, but ultimately walked back into the further recesses of the apartment.

"Bruce. This idiot crashed a motorcycle through my lobby window. He says he knows you."

The man turned to look back at Bruce. His hair was combed into two points on the side of his head, it looked similar to cat or wolf ears. He actually had a feral look to him. His eyes darted quickly. His very stance looked animal-like, as if he were about to pounce.

He had a stub of a cigar stuck in the side of his mouth. He took it out to take a sip from the glass he now held in his hand. He grinned.

"Banner. It's been too long."

Bruce tensed. Alice could sense it. The energy radiating off him increased exponentially. She in turn, increased her siphon.

She tried to catch his gaze, but he was staring hard at the man on the couch.

"Bruce…are you okay?" she whispered.

"I've never seen him before in my life. Shoot him, Happy." Bruce said dryly.

The man chuckled darkly. "You know that won't do a thing."

Bruce sighed heavily, "Logan, what do you want?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**LOGAN! There we go. There'll be more of him next Monday. **

**Also, yes. I am early on this chapter. I really wanted to do Monday updates anyway, so here you go! Still once a week, though...because I need time! **

**Anywho, I hope this was interesting enough for you, lots of talking in this one.**

If you want to know where Bruce knows Logan from, check out The Incredible Hulk #181, for Wolverine's first ever appearance in a comic. :D 

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N at the end. Song for this chapter is 'I Need My Girl' by the National. Warnings: Language and brief mentions of nudity (I kept it tasteful).**

* * *

******Bruce**

_"I've never seen him before in my life, Tony. Kill him." Bruce said dryly. _

_The man chuckled darkly. "Banner. You know that's not possible."_

_Bruce sighed heavily. "Logan, what do you want?"_

He could not believe it. He was certain his eyes were playing tricks on him. It had been 5 years, but Logan looked like he hadn't aged a day. His eyes still had that feral look to them, like you were staring down a bear. For now, the claws were sheathed, that was a good sign.

"Logan. What do you want?" Bruce repeated. Logan still hadn't answered him, but he had stood up, the couch creaking from his weight. If Bruce remembered correctly (and he did), Logan weighed upwards of 500 pounds, even though he didn't look it. He was tall, his strength apparent by the width of his shoulders.

He was working as a lumberjack when Bruce met him. Even so, he didn't appear to weigh more than maybe 200 lbs., muscles and all. But Bruce, and by extension, the Hulk, remembered well what it felt like when Logan threw his full weight into a fight.

Logan downed the rest of the whiskey in the glass, setting on the coffee table.

He walked around from the couch over to where Bruce and Alice were standing. Bruce stepped slightly in front of Alice. Logan sneered.

"I picked up on some interesting gossip and the Professor sent me to check it out."

_Professor Xavier? That doesn't sound like him…can't he just—_Bruce's concentration was abruptly torn from his current thoughts back to the tall mutant who appeared to be stalking his girlfriend.

Logan turned his gaze towards Alice. He looked down to where her tank top covered her chest. "Cold in here, darlin'?" he smirked.

Alice crossed her arms over her chest, frowning and taking a step towards Bruce.

Bruce felt the rage boiling up inside. The Other Guy roared. Alice winced. Bruce was immediately remorseful. He knew how uncomfortable her siphon was. When he allowed his emotions to get away from him, it was downright painful for her. He looked back over his shoulder at her apologetically before turning back to Logan.

Bruce set his jaw. "There's nothing here that should be of any interest to YOU, or Dr. Xavier."

"I disagree," Logan said, his lip curling contemptuously. "A mutated mutant." He turned his gaze back to Alice, looking her up and down. "I'd say that's VERY interesting."

Tony stood up. "We've got everything under control. There's no reason Xavier should be worried."

Logan laughed coldly. "6 dead orderlies and nurses, 1 mauled and then dead SHIELD agent, 1 dead psychiatrist…sounds like you guys are really on top of things. Some of those people had their BRAIN STEMS ripped out."

"Hey, I didn't do THAT!" Alice exclaimed, frowning. "Nobody ripped out any brain stems, I just drained them…"

"ALICE!" Bruce and Tony exclaimed at once.

Logan wasn't smart, not on the same level as Tony or Bruce, but he wasn't stupid either. He was goading her into giving him the information he needed. Bruce narrowed his eyes.

Alice glared defiantly at everyone in the room.

"He's trying to get you to leak information, don't give him any," Bruce whispered.

"I didn't rip out their brain stems," Alice punctuated, narrowing her eyes at Logan.

"I bet you didn't kill that psychiatrist either," Logan said smugly.

Alice pressed her lips together, a low growl emitting from her throat.

Logan raised his eyebrows, clearly amused with her. "That's why the professor wants to meet her. He wants to analyze her abilities and help her control them."

Rage bubbled unbridled within Bruce. "I'll be damned if you…" he growled, stepping closer to Logan.

"Bruce," Alice reached out and brushed his arm. He turned abruptly to look at her. Her expression was pained, her eyes looked bloodshot and the veins around her eyes and forehead had changed color, turning a sickly green. Alarmed, Bruce took a deep breath.

_What the hell…that's new. No doubt that has something to do with the gamma energy she's siphoning…_

"I wouldn't be able to provide a demonstration for your professor." Alice said levelly, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, eyes squeezed shut. "Unlike most mutants, I require an energy pool. Otherwise, the only ability I could demonstrate would be an uncanny resistance to the effects of alcohol."

Logan's eyes lit up, "An energy pool. What kind of energy pool?"

"Alice, stop talking, that's enough," Bruce warned. "Leave the room."

He was worried by this new symptom she was exhibiting. He knew she was uncomfortable when she siphoned him, but it was something she'd gotten used to since she figured out how to control it. This was entirely new. He'd never been this mad since they'd been kidnapped. He had a few theories about what was happening, but he wouldn't know for sure unless they did some tests. He was fairly certain the change of color and increase in discomfort was due to the fact that she wasn't doing anything with the gamma energy. A large influx would back up until her cells found a place for it.

"Bruce…" Tony shook his head, as if to tell him not to worry. He'd been strangely quiet during the whole interchange. That meant he was gleaning information about something or someone he knew little about. "Alice, would you like to sit down?" Tony asked her nicely.

Alice nodded. Tony got up and escorted her to the couch, to the seat furthest from Logan.

Bruce glanced in Tony's direction. His expression was unreadable.

Bruce looked back up at Logan, whose eyes hadn't left Alice.

"Banner, you seem somewhat more level headed since we last met. If I can recall, and I have an excellent memory…"he turned to stare at Bruce.

Bruce scoffed, "Debatable."

Logan narrowed his eyes. "If I can RECALL, we levelled 12 square miles of the Boreal Forest."

"12 square miles of largely unpopulated land? Bruce here destroyed HARLEM once." Tony chided, disdainfully.

Logan glared in Tony's direction. "It was somewhat populated…"

"It was Canada," said Tony simply.

Bruce could see Logan's hackles rising.

"You just seem…calm now." Logan returned his attention to Bruce, his voice little more than a growl. "Maybe the little lady SHOULD leave. I have another theory I'd like to test." He took the cigar out of his mouth and pressed it into his palm. Bruce heard the sizzling of flesh and saw Alice grimace.

Tony was studying him. Bruce wondered if he'd discovered Logan's little party trick for what it was.

Logan threw the cigar butt on the ground. He extended his arms slightly from his body. Bruce knew what was happening. He shot a quick look to Tony, who leaned forward in his chair. Long blades slid out from Logan's knuckles with a sound that mimicked knives being sharpened.

Alice looked wide eyed from Logan's hands to Bruce. A green tinged haze appeared around Alice.

"JARVIS, engage Mark 52." Tony said quietly. "I think for the sake of everyone in Manhattan, Alice should stay where she is." The suit came up out of the chair he was sitting, snapping into place.

_That's new._

Logan looked back to Alice, where she was seated on the couch. "Energy Pool?" he gestured back to Bruce.

Alice tried to have no reaction whatsoever, but Logan seemed satisfied by her response.

"So…" he laughed. "So…" he laughed again, the blades retracted. "This LITTLE girl is controlling the Hulk?" More laughing. "That's completely unbelievable and terrifying at the same time…"

Alice quirked her eyebrow up, looking over at Bruce.

Tony flipped his mask up.

Logan walked closer to Bruce, leaning in. "So, she takes care of the Big Guy, does she take care of the Little Guy too?"

Bruce once again had to push down the rage that threatened to overtake him and spill out into the room. He exhaled loudly, but it sounded suspiciously like a growl.

"She does? Oh, that's just… BEAUTIFUL." Logan laughed again. "That's precious."

Alice blushed angrily, looking down at her lap.

"She's a little young for you, Banner. She doesn't LOOK like a scientist. I thought you had a type…Smart? Beautiful? BUXOM?" Logan leered at Alice, his gaze lingering a BIT too long for Bruce's comfort. "I see 2 out of 3…how many doctorates do YOU have, darlin'?"

"That's enough," Bruce ground out, his eyes narrowing.

Alice was breathing heavily. Her chin was quivering. Bruce tried to will her to look at him. He knew this was a sore spot for her. A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye as her gaze turned murderous. Bruce shot a warning glance towards Tony.

Alice stood, her arms glowing green as the flames ignited. Her eyes glowed even brighter. Bruce had seen this happen a few times, but it never ceased to startle him. The look in her eyes was unsettling. It was like she was on autopilot and Alice wasn't there.

He backed away. She couldn't hurt him when he was the Hulk, but as Bruce he had few defenses against this version of Alice.

Logan stared at her, wide-eyed. Bruce honestly wasn't worried about Logan getting hurt, healing factor and all. He probably SHOULD call her down, but part of him wanted to see Logan get burned. Literally.

Alice stepped up onto Tony's hardwood coffee table, crossing it in two strides. She used the added height it provided her to her advantage. She grasped Logan tightly around the neck, lifting him up in the air. It was a good thing the coffee table was so heavy. It creaked slightly under Logan's added weight, but stayed put.

Logan choked and gasped. His skin sizzled and sputtered under her hand, his toes dragging the ground as she lifted him up in the air. Slowly, but she still did it. It was kind of impressive.

_And terrible. It's TERRIBLE…Logan deserves it. Let him dangle for a minute… _

Logan made a high pitched squeaking sound and Bruce decided it was time to put an end to it.

"Alice," Bruce said. "Alice, love, look at me."

She narrowed her eyes, glaring at Logan and squeezing tighter.

"Alice, please look at me." Bruce pleaded.

She finally turned towards Bruce. Her expression softened. She let go of Logan abruptly, the green glow leaving her as quickly as it had come. Logan fell on the floor, wincing and growling as his skin knit itself back together.

She backed away from Logan, up over the couch like a scared animal. Bruce caught her in his arms, her body quaking and shivering. Her skin felt ice cold.

Logan looked up at Bruce, glaring at him and at Alice, who was still shivering violently. "Under control, huh? What the hell does she look like when she's out of control?"

Tony's eyes narrowed, "We're handling it, alright?"

"Sure you are."

"Okay, so you've seen what she does, you can leave," Bruce said quickly, wanting to get Alice home to rest ASAP.

"But, the professor…"

"If Xavier was really interested in her, he'd have come here HIMSELF. I think it's YOU who has the vested interest here and if that's the case, this little 'visit' is OVER." Bruce got up and helped Alice stand.

"I'm not the only one who's 'interested,' Banner."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bruce snarled.

"Nothing like that. She's a little weak for my tastes."

"Says the man who was just throttled by a little girl," quipped Tony.

Logan snapped his head towards Tony. "This has nothing to do with you, Tin Man."

"Iron Man. Tin would be ridiculous in a suit like this. It's not really iron either…it's actually a gold-titanium alloy…"

Logan growled.

"Easy, Edward Scissorhands. Nobody needs a haircut today."

"What do you mean you're not the only one who's interested?" Bruce asked, trying to keep some sort of hold on the conversation.

Logan tore his attention from Tony, he took a breath, seeming to calm slightly.

"She's on the radar. You guys aren't exactly covert ops. That little escapade at Meadowbrook didn't go unnoticed. The military is interested. General Ross for one."

Bruce scoffed, "We're under SHIELD protection."

"General RYKER, for another."

Bruce felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Ryker's been VERY interested and isn't ashamed of it, apparently."

Bruce frowned. This was not good news. "How do you know?"

Logan shrugged. "I hear things."

"What things? From who? Unless you have a name for me, this means nothing."

"Angela Lipscombe," said Logan.

"She's on the run. How did you talk to her?"

"She's in Canada. New Brunswick. Hanging out with some…weird little shit."

Bruce felt Alice tense.

"How did you find them?" asked Tony.

"Strange stuff happening at the nuclear plant up there. I went to check it out. Healing factor and all."

"So what are you? Captain Canada?" asked Tony, scoffing.

"I HAPPENED to be nearby," Logan said disdainfully, "I found them squatting at the plant. I chased them, caught the girl. Questioned her, she told me about Ryker. I let her go."

"WHY'D YOU LET HER GO?" bellowed Bruce.

Logan's claws slid out again. "Careful, Banner," he warned. "I let her go because she told me what I asked for. I didn't know she was wanted or I'd have turned her in. It wasn't her I was really interested in, though. It was the guy. He got away. Quick little sucker."

"What about Ryker?" asked Bruce, "What does he know?"

His claws retracted again. "He knows enough." Logan looked between Alice and Bruce knowingly.

Alice shrunk into him. He tightened his hold on her. He looked down at her, worrying about what Ryker knew about them.

It was no secret that they were together. It had been a bit of a P.R move for him, actually. Operation: Humanize the Hulk. If a sweet little redhead like Alice could love him, so could everyone else. He had tried to warn Jules that it could backfire like this.

"You see why she'd be of interest to him, don't you? She can control the Hulk. Who's to say she couldn't control a whole army of them?"

Alice shook her head, "I'm not interested."

"Doesn't matter, darlin'. If they thought your abilities could aid 'national security', they'd stop at nothing. Ask your boyfriend. He knows ALL about that." Logan said pointedly.

Bruce's stomach clenched at the thought. He looked down at Alice. She looked so frail, but she had powerful abilities that could definitely translate into something even more powerful if used as a weapon. Samson had tried, Thomas had tried. He couldn't let that happen again.

"We'd hide. We'd run," he said definitively.

"You can't run forever," said Logan, sighing exhaustedly.

"We could sure as hell try."

"No one is going anywhere," Tony interrupted. "You're under protection. They can't take you from SHIELD protection, SHIELD is above the law. It's above the military. It's above all of that."

"Tony, if they wanted her, they'd take her. It's true that SHIELD doesn't answer to anyone, but neither does the military," Bruce admitted sadly. "And SHIELD doesn't know about everything she can do."

"They do," Tony said quietly.

"What?" Alice and Bruce said in unison.

"There's no way that the military knows something that SHIELD didn't know two months before. They know. They just aren't doing anything about it," he clarified.

Bruce nodded. He saw the logic in it. He just couldn't understand why an angry Nick Fury hadn't been tearing down their front door and gnawing on their ankles like an angry Chihuahua the second he found out about Alice.

"You need allies, not more enemies. Let me see what else she can do. I'll talk to the professor." Logan offered. Bartered, more like. Bargained.

But Bruce knew he was right. Charles Xavier was very powerful AND very influential. If nothing else, he could hide Alice. He felt nauseated at the thought of being separated from her. However, if it came down to it, he'd rather she be safely hidden away than put in the way of danger again.

Of course, it wasn't his decision.

"It's not my choice," said Bruce quietly. He looked over to Alice, who was still shivering and quaking.

Logan and Tony looked at her too. She glanced around nervously.

"Do I have to make a decision right now?" she asked.

"I don't mean to rush you…" Bruce began.

"Fine," she spat, startling Bruce. "Fine, I'll meet your professor," she said to Logan. "But, I don't want anything else to do with YOU."

Logan shrugged. He turned to Tony. "Where do I sleep?"

Tony raised his eyebrows, "JARVIS will point you towards of any of Manhattan's fine hotels. Just head out the front door of Stark Tower and walk in VIRTUALLY any direction."

"Nah, that's okay, I'm fine here," he plopped down on the couch, causing the floor to shake.

"I think Pepper's sick of me bringing home STRAYS," Tony grabbed Logan by the back of the neck, attempting to lift him off the couch. He didn't budge. "Damn, Lard-ass, get up."

Logan stood on his own, turning to Bruce. "Bruce. Buddy. Whaddya say? It'll be like old times."

Alice snorted, turning to Bruce, "He is NOT staying with us."

Bruce turned towards her, talking quietly. "Alice, he's got nowhere else to go, someone needs to keep an eye on him."

"If you want to continue what we started in the lab, he's not staying with us."

Bruce turned back to Logan, "You can't stay with us."

Logan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Steve has a spare room," offered Bruce.

"So does Clint," added Tony.

"Yeah, but which one won't argue?" asked Alice.

"Steve it is," said Tony. "I'm sure you two won't mind showing our guest to his new quarters? Tell Steve I'll send down some kibbles and some newspapers so he doesn't make on the floor."

Logan uncrossed one arm and let the middle blade slide up.

Alice tugged on Bruce's arm. She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Can we go now?"

"Yes. Yes, we can…" he turned and gestured to Logan. "Come on."

They made their way to the elevator. Once inside, Alice crossed her arms in front of her. They rode down to the suites in awkward silence. Once the doors opened, Alice walked ahead.

"I'll go talk to Steve. Bruce, you can tend to be less than polite in these situations."

"When have we ever been in this situation?"

She shrugged and yawned, "You know what I mean."

He nodded. Truth be told, he didn't want to have to ask Steve and was relieved that Alice was good at these things.

She walked down the hall to the right of the kitchen to talk to Steve.

Bruce and Logan eyed each other warily.

"I'll try not to insult you until the warden gets back," Logan smirked.

Bruce shrugged. "Smirk all you want. I'm not ashamed."

"Yeah…how does THAT work?" Logan quirked an eyebrow.

Bruce frowned. "I'm not giving you the birds and the bees talk, Logan. If you don't know how THAT works, you have other problems. I'm not THAT kind of doctor."

Logan shut up then. He sneered in Bruce's direction.

Alice walked back out from the hall, "Steve says it's fine, as long as it's only for a few days."

Logan knitted his brow, "Steve? Steve Rogers? As in, Captain America?"

"Very good, glad to see your TV tastes have matured from Saturday morning cartoons," Bruce quipped. "Current events are what GROWN UPS are interested in."

Logan narrowed his eyes again.

Bruce smirked triumphantly.

"Be nice…" Alice warned, turning to walk down the hall again.

They followed close behind. Bruce glanced sideways at Logan as they both strode side-by-side. Logan had his head high looking straight ahead of them. He decided it would probably be better to make as little eye contact as possible with Logan for the rest of his hopefully brief stay. Instead he turned his attention back to Alice.

He hadn't really noticed it before, but her hair was a lot longer than it had been. It was falling down her back in auburn waves, the very tips gently brushing above her firm buttocks. Extremely firm buttocks, now that he was looking.

_How much time is she actually spending in the gym these days? _

Bruce knew he tended to be a little self-absorbed, but he was a little ashamed he hadn't realized how toned she had become.

Bruce glanced to his left again. Logan was still looking forward, but a good deal south of straight ahead. Bruce stepped in closer and cuffed Logan up the backside of his head. It probably hurt his own hand more than it affected Logan. Man had a head like a cannonball.

Logan defensively spun on Bruce, mouthing what looked to be something along the lines of "The fuck was that?"

"Quit looking at her!" Bruce hissed under his breath as he swatted at him again.

Logan easily smacked his hand out the air. "Touch me again." he growled back.

The two of them glared at each other intently before they both almost trampled over Alice, who had stopped in front a door.

Bruce cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Ah, yes. So this is Steve's apartment. Don't go wandering or touching anything." Logan merely shrugged before following Alice into the apartment, with Bruce, perhaps a little too close, right behind.

"Steve we're here!" Alice called out as she aimlessly thumbed through a couple of the men's fitness magazines that were on the coffee table. Bruce highly doubted the workout regimens were quite as rigorous as Steve had been hoping for. Several leaflets fell from the magazines Alice was holding and fluttered carelessly all around her.

Cursing under her breath, Alice swiftly bent over and began gathering them. Her rear was now up in the air, with her shorts riding up. It appeared it was both extremely firm AND shapely. Bruce was pretty sure she was doing this on purpose.

He glared over Logan, who was standing there with his arms folded staring intently.

"Stop," Bruce mouthed wordlessly.

Logan unfolded his arms and flung them in the air before gesturing to Alice as if to say "but it's right THERE."

Bruce was about to take a swing at Logan just as Steve walked into the room.

"Hello, what's going on?" Steve said with real concern, surveying the scene before him.

"Oh, they're just staring at my ass is all," Alice said, straightening up and placing the magazines back on the table. Steve turned a shade darker as he coughed and tried not to look at anyone in general.

"See?" said Logan before folding his arms and turning towards Steve.

Bruce swung at his shoulder but Logan just shrugged out of the way.

"Uh, I wasn't staring at it," Steve clarified, now looking at the ceiling.

"What are you, gay?" Logan chided, motioning towards Alice.

Steve frowned. "I am not..."

"He's a gentleman," offered Bruce.

"You were looking," said Alice, raising her eyebrows, amused.

"I never said I was a gentleman," said Bruce.

Alice smirked. "Well, we should probably let you two get acquainted…Steve, it's only for a few days, keep that in mind."

"Come get me if there's a problem," Bruce added. He was anxious to get Alice alone, the past few moments of desperate ogling had only made him want her more. If it was possible to want her more. He'd been burying himself in his work to stop thinking about her constantly. He didn't really want to be annoying or push her into anything she wasn't ready for.

Right now, he couldn't possibly tear his mind away from the gentle curve of her buttocks as it melded into her thigh.

_Oh, her thighs_.

He remembered earlier in the evening, when they had been wrapped around him. He'd like to get back to that place.

He realized he was staring. He snapped his head up, looking to see if anyone noticed. Alice and Steve were talking about something, making plans to meet at the gym the next morning. Logan was inspecting Steve's kitchen, opening the door to the fridge and inspecting the contents.

"Got any beer?" he asked, poking his head up over the top of the fridge door.

"No," Steve answered.

"And you call yourself Captain AMERICA," Logan shut the door. "Thanks for shacking me up with the Eagle Scout."

Alice frowned, "He can't get drunk. SUPERIOR genes. Not much use for it if it doesn't work."

Logan rolled his eyes and huffed, "Got anything to eat besides Wheaties?"

"Tony said he'd send up some kibbles for you," Alice smirked.

Bruce smiled. She was so snarky sometimes. It was really hot. Everything she did was hot, apparently.

He shifted uncomfortably, "Alice, are you ready? I think Steve can hold his own."

She nodded, said goodbye to Steve and started for the door. Bruce stopped, turning back to Steve.

"What do you know about him?" he asked quietly.

"Alice said he's a 'mutant, blades in the hands, insane healing, crazy rude.' Her words."

Bruce chuckled, "He also has an adamantium plated skeleton, so don't go punching him. You'll do yourself more harm than him. Just come get Alice, she can throttle him for you."

Steve laughed, "She mentioned that."

"Ask Tony to send up more food if he eats it all and come get me if there are any other problems."

Steve nodded, "I should be able to manage."

"Alright, we're going," Bruce said, a bit louder.

"Have fun, Banner," Logan said dryly, looking over at Alice and back to Bruce, cocking his eyebrow slightly.

"Likewise," Bruce retorted. He turned to leave, wrapping his arm around Alice's waist, pulling her out the door as she waved to Steve.

They walked down the hall to their apartment.

"You can't wear those shorts in public anymore," Bruce said, nuzzling her neck.

"Apparently, I can't. It makes all the menfolk rut around like wild animals."

"Your shirt is driving me crazy," he whispered.

"The shirt or what's under it?" she asked teasingly.

He nuzzled her neck again in response.

"In my defense, I wasn't intending on receiving company this evening," she smiled crookedly and shrugged.

It seemed like it was taking forever to get to their apartment and he couldn't help himself.

He pushed her against the wall in the hallway, allowing his hands to rove around to her backside, where he'd been itching to touch for the past half hour. He pressed fevered kisses up her neck and jawline. She squeaked in surprise.

"Bruce…" she all but moaned. "We're still in the hallway…"

He bent slightly and scooped her up over his shoulder. She giggled loudly, swatting at his back. "Caveman!"

He grunted loudly in response and swatted her playfully, eliciting more high pitched squealing from her.

He fumbled in his pocket for his keys and the door to Thor's apartment opened. Thor peeked his head out, looking up and down the hallway. When he saw Bruce with Alice slung over his shoulder, he grinned widely, nodding his approval and disappeared back into his apartment.

Alice squealed again and covered her face, "Oh my gosh, how embarrassing…"

Bruce found his keys and opened the door, "Now that we have the blessing of the gods…" he continued inside, closing the door behind them. He carried her to the bedroom.

"Wait, wait…"

He stopped, "What's wrong?"

"Bathroom?" she pleaded.

He put her down on the ground. She staggered slightly, retaining her equilibrium. "I'll be right with you," she winked, closing the door.

He all but tore off his shirt and pulled his ruined t-shirt over his head, dropping them in a small pile on Alice's vanity chair. The hamper was in the bathroom. He couldn't decide whether or not he should take off his pants.

_8 years. It's been 8 years._

He opted to remove them. Fewer barriers.

He pulled all the throw pillows off the bed and folded down the blankets. Then he couldn't decide what to do. He didn't want to be the cheesy guy who was waiting expectantly under the covers. He sat down on the bed, trying to decide on a course of action.

He heard the water running in the bathroom, absently wondering what she was doing in there. He didn't have to wonder for long, however. She opened the door, she had changed clothes, it looked like. She was wearing a short silky robe and little else. It really drew his attention to her legs, how toned they were, to match the rest of her.

She wordlessly crossed the room, keeping her eyes low. She crawled up to him from the bottom of the bed. He lay back against the pillows. She straddled his hips, pressing herself down. She still hadn't said a word.

His hands were sliding up and down her thighs, stopping where her robe began. She grabbed both of his hands and placed them up at her waist, where her robe was tied. She bit her lip, moving her hands away. Bruce pulled at the loose knot in the robe, expecting to find a nightie that matched the silk in the robe, or something along those lines when he untied it.

When the robe fell open, to say he was surprised would be the understatement of the year.

"I thought I'd give you a head start," she whispered, her voice wavering slightly. Bruce pushed the robe back off her shoulders and took in her completely naked form.

"JARVIS, set our status to 'Do Not Disturb'. If Tony tries to disturb us, tell him I will skin him alive," he somehow choked out.

"Right away, Dr. Banner."

Alice laughed softly, looking anywhere but at Bruce's face. She was nervous.

"Alice…you are…so beautiful," Bruce couldn't take his eyes off her.

She blushed, looking down again.

Bruce placed his hands on her waist, and rolled her to the side, he leaned over her, kissing her softly on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered faintly.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm scared."

"Why?"

"Because, it's you. I'm just…nervous."

"Me too."

He ran his thumb over her slightly parted lips before kissing her again.

"Why are you nervous?" Alice asked.

"Same reason, because it's you."

"Well, I'm also nervous because I'm not that…experienced," she blushed slightly. It was adorable.

"And I am?" he asked, amused

"More than me," she replied.

"Not with you. I'm not experienced with you. I don't know what you like. We're in the same boat."

She smiled again, "I guess so."

He kissed her again. Deeper this time. She responded enthusiastically.

"I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too…Is this okay? Are you okay?" he gazed down at her beautiful nude form lying beneath him.

She nodded, her face reddening more, "Yes, it's more than okay. I've been ready for this for a while."

He leaned down again to kiss her, more than ready to make love to the beautiful woman lying before him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So anyway, here's Logan in all his glory, staring at butts and boobies and offending everyone while providing some helpful information and flipping people off with his claws. There will be some fighting soon, promise! :D**

**Also, it looks like Alice's abilities aren't without consequence. There will be more on that in later chapters. :/ **

**Chapter 4 will be up next Monday, there's ANOTHER surprise guest coming in Chapter 4, but I won't give you any hints as to who it is! :P **

**And just to make sure all of you caught it without a shadow of a doubt, yes. Yes. Yes. Sex. That is all. **

**As always, I don't own any part of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Hey Jealousy' by Gin Blossoms. Warnings: Language and brief mentions of sexual encounters.**

* * *

**Bruce**

When Bruce woke up the next morning, Alice was draped around his torso, her hair spread over his chest. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. He tightened his hold on her, sweeping her hair out of her face and tucking behind her ear. She stirred, inhaling audibly.

She opened her eyes, looking up at him. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"Hi," he said stupidly.

_Oh. Wow. That was inspired. Idiot._

He dropped his head back on the pillow again, embarrassed.

She giggled, "Hi, yourself…or did you not mean to say that?"

"No, I was trying to think of something really romantic and philosophical to say. All my idiot brain could come up with was 'Hi'."

"You're just in the post-sex fog. Your brain cells will wake back up soon enough."

"Maybe I should just stay in bed with you until they do. I'm not sure I could make it down to the lab without causing some kind of major accident."

She reached up to pull him close for a kiss before sitting up and stretching. The sheets clung to her at first, but slowly fell.

He wrapped himself around her waist. "Don't go anywhere yet."

"YOU have to go to the lab. You're going to leave ME."

"I don't have to. I can stay with you today."

"Really?"

"Yes. Well…I do have a few things I need to do, but it shouldn't take more than an hour."

"See? I knew you couldn't tear yourself away." She scooted to the edge of the bed and stretched again, yawning.

"That's not true. I just…I've been working on these experiments and if I don't record the data, I'll have to start over."

"I'm not mad. I'm just right," she smiled smugly. She got up and walked over to the dresser. Bruce had been planning a retort, but her nude form crossing the room was too hypnotic. Most of the thoughts flew out of his head.

_Good grief, Banner. Focus. _

_On what, exactly? I can't remember. _

_She's so beautiful. I could just look at her all day…and damn, she's really been putting some time in at the gym. I don't deserve someone like her. She's too wonderful. _

He sighed happily.

She turned to look at him as she pulled some clothing out of her drawer. She crossed the floor and dropped it in a pile on the bed. "What are you smiling about?" she raised her eyebrows.

"I suppose you're looking for an answer more sophisticated than 'boobies'? Am I correct?"

She snorted and turned to walk to the bathroom door. "ANYWAY, I have plans to work out with Steve this morning. I'm going to hop into the shower first. Do you want to join me?"

Bruce was out of bed and across the room before he realized what he was doing.

* * *

**A short...well...not SO short while later...**

"Okay," Alice said as she dried herself off, "I'm actually almost late now…"

"So no different than any other morning, right?" he teased.

"Hey! I'm VERY punctual!"

Bruce eyed her skeptically, "Alice. I love you m'dear, but you are the least punctual person I know. I think it has something to do with you underestimating the time it takes to tame this lovely mane of hair," he ran his fingers through her wet hair to illustrate his point.

"I love you, too, but YOU don't help my punctuality problem in the LEAST," she tossed her hair haughtily.

"You can't blame me. My contribution was a recent development," he wrapped his arms around her towel clad form as she turned for the door.

She turned towards him, pressing a kiss to his jaw before unwrapping herself from his arms and walking out into their bedroom.

"To change the subject, when is the next training session?" asked Bruce, following her out of the bathroom.

"Not sure, I'll talk to Natasha today, if she's not so pissed at me that she's not going to be my trainer anymore."

She went the bed where she had laid her clothes down earlier. She grabbed a comb off her vanity and started to drag it through her hair. After several minutes and a few whispered swear words, she started French braiding it tightly down the back of her head.

Bruce lounged on the bed, mostly dressed. He had managed to put on his pants and a t-shirt, watching as the towel she was wearing slipped precariously low. It was probably just as well that he wasn't going to the lab for the entire day. He was going to be next to useless. Hopefully he could get out without catching Tony's attention. That was a conversation he'd like to delay as long as possible.

She finished off the braid, wrapping a hair tie around the end.

She stood, unwrapping herself from the towel and began pulling on her clothing.

"So, are you just going to walk around naked now?" he asked.

"If it bothers you, I'll stop."

"Oh, it bothers me, but please don't stop."

She smiled, "I'll walk around naked ONLY if you will join me."

"Nobody wants to see that, I'm sure."

"I do," she stared at him heatedly.

Bruce felt his face grow hot. He was certain he was blushing.

"What? Did I not make my approval obvious last night? Twice? AND just now in the shower?"

"Yes…I suppose you did."

"You suppose? I've have to try harder next time." She was pulling on a pair of what looked to be lycra tights. Hopefully she was planning on wearing something over them.

She crossed the room to the closet, grabbing a pair of trainers from the floor. She slipped them on, tightening the laces.

_Apparently she's not._

"Are you just wearing that?" he gesture to her ensemble.

She looked amused, "Yes. This is what I always wear."

"Really? How did I miss that?"

"Head up your own ass? I don't know."

"Sorry, I guess I've been a little self-absorbed lately."

"I have been too, so we're even. We DO need to talk tonight, though."

"Yes. Talk. That's what we'll do tonight."

"Not the only thing we'll do tonight, I hope," Alice winked.

Bruce blushed again, "How long is your work out?" he asked, changing the subject to something he was more comfortable discussing.

"I can probably get done in an hour or so. Do you want to meet me at the gym?"

"Yeah, I'll head down there after I finish up in the lab," he got up to walk her to the door.

"Great. I'm sparring with Steve. Should be interesting."

Bruce laughed, "I shouldn't be more than an hour, but if I am, just meet me in the lab and we can go to lunch if you want."

"Sounds wonderful," Alice grinned. "I have to get going, I'm supposed to meet Steve in 10 minutes, so I'll see you in a few hours?" she opened the door to the apartment.

"AN hour," Bruce corrected, pulling her close to kiss her goodbye. "I miss you already."

Her grin grew wider. "We're so gross. I love it."

"I love YOU."

"Love you too, see you soon!"

"Take it easy on Steve. He's an old man."

She laughed loudly and deliberately, turning to go.

Bruce watched until he couldn't see her anymore. He shut the door to the apartment, returning to the bedroom to finish getting ready.

He grabbed his bag and headed down to the lab, whistling in the elevator. He really couldn't remember the last time he'd whistled about anything.

He walked down the hall to the lab. Thinking about Alice brought a smile to his face.

"Somebody is in a good mood this morning, wonder why that is?" Tony asked brightly.

Bruce scoffed, "I'm no different than I usually am."

"You're smiling for one thing. You NEVER smile."

"That's just not true…"

"You ARE smiling, I can tell by how your mouth is."

"That's not what I meant, what I MEANT…"

"You had sex."

"Tony…"

"No denial. You got laid. Good for you!" Tony patted him enthusiastically on the back.

"Yeah, yeah…I didn't come in to be congratulated on my sexual prowess…" Bruce started to go back to his desk.

"Prowess? PROWESS? It took you 8 months to seal the deal. That's hardly prowess. That's approaching sloth speeds."

Bruce rolled his eyes.

"And don't give me that crap about how it's more special since you waited. You know you were both ready for this about 6 weeks in."

"If you're through, may I?" Bruce gestured to his desk.

"In a second. First, I wanted to show you what I finally got working again. Or WHOM."

"It's who."

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it's whom."

"It's who when it's the subject and whom when it's the direct object. To whom are you speaking? About whom do you refer?"

"So it's whom."

"No, it's who."

"It doesn't matter…" Tony said exasperatedly.

"It does, actually. You really should learn the language you claim to be fluent in."

"I'm fluent in SARCASM. Don't forget it. Anyway, ta-da!"

Bruce watched as Dummy rolled into view. It raised its arm as if in greeting.

"Hi, Dummy…" Bruce always felt weird talking to Dummy. Like he was talking to a puppet or something. Although, he had no problem talking to JARVIS, so he didn't know what it was. Maybe because Dummy was Tony's high school science fair project and JARVIS was more…sleek.

_Does that make me elitist? I hope not. I hope I'm not playing favorites or taking part in ageism._

_These ARE NOT people. They don't care. The only one who would is Tony. _

"So…he's in New York now? He's here to stay?"

Bruce needed to know if the over-zealous robot was going to be mucking up all his experiments from now on.

"Yep, just let me know if you want to borrow him."

_Never, if I can help it._

"Will do…" Bruce said. "If I'm ever on fire, I know who to call."

"Hey...he was just trying to help..."

"I'm going to go check on my experiments now…"

He went back to his desk, opening the tracking program on his laptop to see if there were any hits.

There weren't.

He had a few other minor experiments going on, so he checked on those as well.

"Dr. Banner?" JARVIS' cool voice permeated the silence.

"Yes, JARVIS?"

"There is a Dr. Talbot here to see you."

"I don't know a Dr. Talbot."

"She says you might know her by her maiden name, Dr. Betty Ross?"

_Shit. Not today. NOT TODAY…_

"I'm not receiving visitors today, JARVIS. I'm leaving early for lunch with Alice."

"Alright, sir."

He sighed in relief.

_I'm going to take this as a sign that I need to leave early. I'm going down to watch her finish her workout. I've never done that before, but there's a first time for everything…_

"Sir, she says it's urgent," JARVIS interjected again.

"What is this pertaining to?" He groaned inwardly. He shouldn't even be humoring her.

"Ms. Vorso, sir."

Bruce's skin felt prickly, his stomach clenched in fear.

_I hope I don't regret this…_

"Send her up to my office, JARVIS."

"Right away, sir."

"You're going to see her?" Darcy's voice shrilled from behind him. He jumped.

"Darcy. Don't sneak up on me."

"Not cool, green dude. You need to tell Alice."

"I will. I'll call her right now," he pulled his phone out of his back pocket.

"Because your ex-girlfriend showing up is no bueno, Senor Verde."

"You heard. She has information about Alice."

"So does everyone. You two are all over the tabloids. If I was trying to get my ex to notice me, I'd pretend to have pertinent information about his current flame."

"Betty wouldn't do that. It's probably something to do with all this Ryker nonsense. She might have information we don't have. Besides, didn't you hear? She's married."

"Bitter about that, are we?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"NO. Not at all."

Darcy sighed, "Call Alice."

"BRUCE!" Tony called from across the lab. "Did you give clearance for a Dr. Betty Talbot to come into MY LAB?"

Bruce huffed in frustration, sticking his phone in his pocket for the time being.

"Yes, I did. She's supposed to meet me in my office."

"Bruce, you know my policy on skanks in the workplace…send her over to me when you're done."

"She has information about Alice."

"I thought WE were the ones with information on Alice…"

"Well…she said it was urgent…and that it was about Alice…I thought she might know something about the Ryker situation."

"So…you're just letting random doctors into our lab because they name drop your girlfriend and MIGHT know something about an obscure threat that was brought to OUR attention by a lobby-smashing mutant mongrel?"

"She's not random…Dr. Betty ROSS Talbot. She must have gotten married or something."

"Dr. Ross? THE Dr. Ross. As in BETTY ROSS? As in YOUR EX?"

"Yes…" Bruce answered warily.

"Do we not entertain you enough, Bruce? Is there not enough drama in your life? So little that YOU have to IMPORT it from the outside?" Tony asked, his eyes wide.

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You need to call Alice," he insisted.

"I'm trying to, but everyone keeps interrupting."

"Well, she's been kind of scary lately. You need to tell her about this."

"Tell me about what?" Alice asked strolling into the room, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That….Dummy….is back," said Tony.

"Okay…Who's Dummy?" asked Alice warily, looking around the room.

"Who's Dummy…"Tony chuckled, "Who's Dummy…that's a good one, Alice…you kill me. Really…" he turned and walked away, still chuckling.

Alice cocked an eyebrow at Tony's retreating form, "Is Tony drunk again?"

"Probably," Bruce exhaled slowly, preparing to tell her all about their special visitor. He heard the door to the lab beep as someone came in.

Alice uncrossed her arms and stepped closer to him, sliding her hands up his chest and around his neck, "Sorry I'm early, but Steve didn't come to the gym. He didn't want to leave Logan alone in his apartment. Can't say that I blame him."

Bruce smiled half-heartedly, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Alice, there's something…"

"Hi. Bruce…am I interrupting you?" asked a very familiar voice.

"Alice…" Bruce slid one arm further around her waist as he turned to the side. "This is Dr. Betty Ross…" He felt on edge, worried about how Alice would handle this.

"I know who she is," she said with an easy smile, which contrasted sharply with the defensive stance she adopted, tensing her shoulders and back as she moved forward out of her comfort zone to offer her hand.

"It's Talbot now, Bruce," said Betty, with a smile. She took Alice's proffered hand and shook it. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Alice."

"Likewise," Alice answered.

Bruce couldn't detect any malice or venom in her voice, so he relaxed a little, even if Alice didn't.

"Betty has some information, I believe?"

"Yes, I do, it's rather urgent, do you think we could…" she looked at him pointedly.

"Of course, we can go to my office…I hope you don't mind if Alice comes along?"

He felt her tense even more, he glanced over. Her eyes were hardened, her mouth a thin line.

"Not at all, it is information FOR her, after all," laughed Betty, who waited to walk after Bruce and Alice towards his office.

Bruce tightened his hold on Alice, pulling her closer to his side. Her hands had dropped from him a while ago and she now had her arms crossed over her middle, her shoulders hunched. As if she was trying to make herself smaller.

He leaned down to press a kiss into her hairline as they walked, hoping that would help her calm down and relax a bit.

It didn't.

* * *

**Alice**

She knew her. Of course she knew her. Long, sleek brown hair. Slender. Tall. A pair of glasses perched on her nose. She'd seen pictures of her. Mostly online. Google was a very useful tool for stalking your boyfriend's scientist ex-girlfriend.

She had a million thoughts buzzing around in her head. She kept over analyzing everything. Every look, every gesture. Every hair toss.

_Okay, she probably didn't mean anything by that. It legitimately looked like it was in her face. Still…_

She fluctuated between the paranoid over analysis and internal chastisement of her thoughts.

_He loves you. Stop this. You're being silly. This is the exact thing that you get upset with him for. He's including you in the conversation, he's maintaining contact with you, looking at you lovingly…oh, I love his eyes…FOCUS, Alice. _

_ Why did this have to happen now? Why today? I want to just go cry somewhere…_

She tried to listen to what Betty was saying.

Alice and Bruce were leaning on his desk and Betty had taken a seat in one of the other chairs. She seemed nice enough, but it bothered her that she seemed so comfortable when she'd never been here before. Alice wasn't even this comfortable here.

_It's because she's a scientist. A biologist. She would be comfortable in a lab because she knows what to do in one. She's probably going to ask Bruce to show her what kinds of experiments he's working on, and he's going to show her, and he's going to realize how bad I am for him…_

Alice felt her stomach clench. She'd honestly never felt this way before. She wasn't sure if it was because it was Betty or what.

_Maybe it's because we just slept together last night and already there's another female sniffing around. _

_She's not sniffing around, she's just giving us valuable information that I'm missing out on because I'm being stupid._

She tried to pay attention, but the knot in her stomach refused to let up. She felt hot and sweaty. Her hand that Bruce was holding was drenched and she was certain that if she weren't wearing black right now, there would be armpit stains down to her waist.

They talked for what felt like forever before Betty got up and excused herself to go to the bathroom. Bruce let go of Alice's hand and crossed over to where Betty was now standing.

He placed his hand on her shoulder briefly as he pointed her in the right direction.

Alice felt bile rise in her throat.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _She wondered as she blinked back tears.

Bruce turned towards her, "Are you okay? You look pale…" he put his hand on her forehead, letting his fingers slide down the side of her face.

"No…" she choked. "I'm not okay."

_Alice! Back down. Don't be weird. He'll be upset with you._

"What's wrong?" he looked at her intently. "Is it Betty? You aren't comfortable with her here?"

It felt like a trap, but Bruce wouldn't do that.

She nodded slightly.

"Alice…" he murmured gently, "I love you…" he pressed a kiss to her lips and she let out a strangled sigh.

"Betty means nothing to me now. I love YOU. Only you. I never loved her anyway, you know that."

"Do I?" she asked quietly.

"I've told you. I've never lied to you."

"You've withheld information…"

"Yes, but that was to protect you."

"How do I know you're not trying to protect me now?"

"Because withholding information like that wouldn't be to protect you, it would be to protect myself. And you know I'm shit at self-preservation."

A small wave of relief washed over her. He was joking around with her. She felt a little better. The corners of her mouth tugged upwards of their own accord.

"And I promise that I won't ever see her without letting you know first. Will that make you feel better?"

It would, but Alice didn't want to make him do that. It was a little excessive, even if she secretly wanted it.

"You don't have to do that, Bruce. I trust you."

He smiled, "She's a really nice person, Alice. I mean…you two might get along."

_I sincerely doubt that…_

She tried to return his smile, "Maybe…"

He leaned down to kiss her again just as Betty reentered the office.

"Don't mind me…I'll just head out. Get out of your hair."

"Where are you staying?" he asked, turning away from Alice at the last second.

_NO. She cannot stay with us. Not even in this building…NO!_

Alice desperately tried to catch Bruce's gaze.

"I'm planning on getting a room downtown…" Betty said.

"Well, if you don't have one already, I'm sure Tony could set you up with something here. If you're going to stay for a while, that is."

Alice thought her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Surely Betty wouldn't take him up on that. How wildly inappropriate.

"I'm only staying until Thursday, so it's not necessary. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Are you sure?" Bruce asked.

_She's sure. She's fucking sure. Shut your mouth, idiot._

"I'm sure," she stood up to leave. "I'll come by tomorrow with all that paperwork and information on Ryker…I'd have brought it today, but I have that lecture at NYU this evening and it completely slipped my mind."

"That's fine. Maybe we'll stop by to listen to the lecture if I finish up here early…"

Alice set her jaw painfully. _Now I get to listen to her talk science for 3 hours? Why in hell would I want to do that? AND what happened to us going to lunch? _

"If you want. I'm not sure it's going to be interesting. Not the best date, I wouldn't say," she rolled her eyes comically in Alice's direction. "He never did know how to show a girl a good time," she quipped.

"I take offense to that, Alice and I have fun!"

"Alice, just let him know when, what and where. That's what I had to do…"

She looked down at her feet, afraid that the anger would show in her face.

_I am not comfortable talking about you being with him. I'm not. Why can't anyone in the room see that? Isn't that common sense? I don't want to think about him being with another woman. Is that so hard to believe and understand?_

_AND why wouldn't I enjoy myself at a lecture? Because I'm stupid? Did she just call me stupid? _

_ Of course not, you're reading too much into it, Vorso._

She looked back up, having composed herself.

Betty was giving Bruce a hug. A hug. Then she turned towards Alice, placing her hands on her shoulders. She leaned in to hug her as well.

"It was wonderful to finally meet you, Alice, let me know if you ever need anything."

And she was gone.

Bruce walked over and shut the door to the office.

"So…did you want to?"

"Want to what?" she replied, looking down at her hands.

"Go to the lecture?"

"You want to," she said, feeling defeated.

"That's not what I asked."

"I know," she said, pushing up off the desk. "We can if you want."

"Again, not what I asked you."

"It's just not my thing, Bruce. But we can go if you want."

"I'm just saying…you might learn something."

"I might…learn something? Learn what? Pray tell?"

He frowned, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought it would be interesting to you."

"What's the topic?"

"Mutations and how they affect heredity."

Alice faltered, "Oh…"

"Oh…" Bruce echoed. He took off his glasses, fiddling with the earpiece. "We don't have to go. What did you want to do? Is there some scientifically inaccurate show on the BBC you'd rather watch instead?" he asked, his tone sounded sardonically toxic.

_Is he…? Is he making fun of me for watching Doctor Who? Lots of people watch Doctor Who…_

"I didn't know what the topic was, Bruce…" Alice tried to explain, looking down at her feet.

"She talked about it for a couple of minutes when she first came in…were you not listening?"

"Honestly, no. I was trying to calm down."

"Alice…" he sighed.

"But yeah…you should totally be pretentious and condescending. That's going to make me want to hang out tonight," she spat, narrowing her eyes.

Bruce sighed and closed his eyes.

"No. Don't check out on me. This isn't a fight. I'm not yelling. I'm simply going to DEFEND myself and my choices. You're going to judge me for watching Doctor Who? I assume that was the reference you made before. I choose to watch Doctor Who. I know it's silly. I know it's ridiculous. I'm not CLAIMING that it's educational. I watch it because it's entertaining. Very little makes me forget all my problems. Very little makes me relax and Doctor Who is one of those things. I don't make you watch it with me because I know you don't like it. But also because you will do nothing but make me feel stupid for choosing to watch it."

"Alice…"

"But, it's nice to know what you really think. I'm sure you were just keeping this from me to 'protect' me, weren't you? Maybe thought you'd 'trick' me into liking the same things as you? Trick me into learning something? I'm not a child, Bruce. If you think I need to broaden my horizons, tell me. Because God knows I wouldn't want to embarrass you."

"ALICE," he said louder, a note of warning in his voice.

"What?" she hissed, steeling her gaze and hardening herself.

"I—I apologize. I was out of line," he said cautiously, like he was choosing his words carefully.

She kept her gaze steely and cold, peering at him through squinted eyes.

"I simply thought you'd enjoy the lecture because of the topic. However, I see now how my actions might have been misconstrued…"

"Don't," she snarled. "Just don't."

"Don't what?" he asked, his eyes searching her face.

"Don't apologize if you don't really mean it. GO," she gestured wildly with her hands. "GO to the lecture and 'catch up' with Betty if that's what you want to do. Just don't make me watch. Don't make me into a third wheel chaperone so you can hang out with your married ex-girlfriend."

She turned to leave the room, but he put his hand on the door.

"Don't you leave me here," he whispered. "Don't walk out on this."

She turned to look at him, "Why? You leave me when I'm upset."

"I leave you because I'm scared of what I'll say or do when I'm mad."

"Maybe that's why I'm leaving."

"Alice, I'm honestly trying to fix this. I'm sorry my apology sounded so callous. I was trying to keep myself calm and not say something else to insult you. I truly thought you'd enjoy the lecture. It has nothing to do with Betty. Nothing at all. I don't want her, I want you."

Her resolve was starting to falter. She felt ashamed for not realizing what he was doing. He wasn't Zeke. He wasn't trying to hurt her, much the opposite.

He continued, "I'm trying. I'm trying to be what you need. I'm sorry if I'm not quite there yet…"

Alice leaned forward and pressed her lips firmly to his. He grunted in surprise, but wrapped his arms around her nonetheless.

"I know you're trying," she murmured. "I'm sorry too. I'm not being the most understanding person right now."

"I don't care…" he whispered, pushing her backwards until her legs hit his desk. He lifted her up effortlessly, setting her down on top of the various paperwork he had scattered around.

His hands roved all over her, his lips following suit. Alice knew she should stop him, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to stop and talk about painful things when what he was doing felt so good. Made her feel so happy and beautiful. Why should they stop something they both deserved?

* * *

**Author's Note: **

***sigh* **

**Bruce. Alice. You guys...I mean, honestly. COMMUNICATION. **

**If you're wondering about Betty's marital status, in the comics she marries Glenn Talbot, a military man introduced to her by her father. I kind of appropriated that here. Just to give her a life after Bruce and someone she's moved on with. I hope I got her mannerisms right. I don't really like Betty (gasp), so it was hard for me not to let my own prejudices sully her character (what little she has...OH SNAP, sorry, that's the last time...for now). **

**Betty DOES have an ulterior motive, however. Just gonna put that out there. **

**So, I'm early on my update. Of course, if you've followed me from C&C, you know that's a common occurrence. ;) Expect the next update a week from Monday, I hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day weekend. **

**I have a few prompts I'm working on, and a few little drabbles of my own that I'll be posting in between chapter updates. They'll be in my Brulice headcanon, and will be posted as updates to my prompt compilation, Silver Linings. So, if you want more Brulice action between updates, that's where you'll find it. :) If you have any prompts, don't hesitate to send them, I'll get them written up as long as they don't interfere with my current plot line (Some of you are so astute, it makes me wonder if you're reading my mind or something!) **

**I want to thank my awesome beta, TimeLord98, for putting up with me and my incessant messaging. :P**

**Anyway, as always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I DO own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined, I love hearing what you think! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Come With Me Now' by the KONGOS. Warnings include language (I think), and mentions of adult themes.**

* * *

**Alice**

To say she was nervous would have been an understatement.

Every single time she tried to train with the Other Guy, it ended badly. He simply did not like her. Not one little bit.

She wasn't sure why that was. Bruce had assured her that when he initiated a controlled transformation in the past, the Other Guy could remember who his friends were, who his teammates were. Whenever Alice was present, it was like he reverted to primal instincts. Survival. He was scared of her, and of what she represented. She had to convince him that she was a friend, a teammate, someone who could help him.

She bounced nervously, looking over at Steve, who smiled reassuringly.

Natasha was sitting this one out. She was next to useless in these scenarios. In her words, the Hulk scared the "ever-loving-hell" out of her. She actually told Alice that if she was impressed with nothing else about her, she was impressed with her courage/stupidity when it came to the Hulk. It was a weird compliment, but Alice would take it. Coming from the Black Widow, anything complimentary sounded weird.

Alice WAS scared, though. You'd have to be nuts not to be scared of the Other Guy.

It was a strange relationship. He was the other half of her other half.

Bruce was aware of the Other Guy's feelings about Alice. **HATE. HATE. HATE.** So, it stood to reason that the Other Guy was aware of Bruce's feelings for her? Right?

She glanced down at Bruce. He was pacing nervously along the opposite wall of the training room. She caught his eye, smiling nervously. He returned the smile.

Things with them were shaky, but good. They still hadn't talked about anything important, really. Nothing that needed to be discussed. Anytime things got a little heated or emotional, they usually ended up falling into bed.

Not always the bed. Sometimes the shower, his office, the couch, the kitchen floor, and once: the elevator.

Not that she was complaining about that. She wasn't. No way.

But she knew it wasn't helping. She was sure they both knew.

It was a little like putting a Band-Aid on a child's skinned knee. It doesn't do anything for the pain or to keep out infection, but it makes the child feel better.

She certainly felt better during the act. She didn't have a thought in her head about anything, other than Bruce. That was nice. She'd be hard pressed to remember anything about Thomas or Samson, or her kidnapping. Not when she was literally and figuratively wrapped around Bruce.

She shook her head rapidly. Those thoughts were doing nothing to prepare her for this training session.

She stretched out her calves, waiting for Bruce's signal that he was ready.

Thor lounged over to the left. This was kind of the last ditch effort with this for a while because Thor was leaving soon to go back to Asgard. Some problem with his brother's imprisonment had arisen, and he was needed at home.

Tony was suited up, hovering above them.

She watched Bruce hop up and down a couple of times. He turned and nodded towards Tony. He locked eyes with Alice for a moment before dropping his head.

When he looked up again, he wasn't Bruce anymore. Alice hated watching the transformation. Watching the man she loved turn into something else entirely. She closed her eyes.

Bruce had asked her to not be so hostile towards the Other Guy. Apparently, he could sense it. She tried to keep calm and remember that under it all, locked away deep inside was the man she loved.

The Other Guy let out a feral roar, rousing her from her thoughts. She opened her eyes, peering at him. He whipped his head from right to left, before focusing on her.

He snarled when he saw her. She set her jaw.

He barreled towards her, roaring loudly.

_This has to work this time, it has to. _

Thor started swinging his hammer, prepared to whack the Hulk with it if needed.

Steve tensed beside her.

_Keep calm. Steady. Like a spooked animal. Be firm, but gentle. Firm, but gentle._

Alice walked steadily forward to meet the Other Guy head on.

He wasn't slowing down. He was prepared to plow over her.

_Nope. Not today, dude._

He roared again.

"STOP THAT!" she shouted to be heard. Holding her hands in front of her, she wove an intricate barrier to separate them.

He skidded to a stop in front of it. He remembered what happened if he ran into it head on.

He roared again, loudly, ruffling her hair.

"NO!" she shouted. "NO! I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY!"

"**HULK SMASH GIRL**!" he growled, punching the floor next to him.

That was new. He usually didn't speak to her.

"NO! If you try to smash me, you won't get to smash ever again. I can do that. I HAVE that power."

He glowered, turning towards Thor.

"**HULK SMASH GOD**!" He lifted his fist over his head.

"NO!" Alice's voice boomed. "Thor's your friend. He's only here to make sure you don't smash me."

The Other Guy's fist hovered in midair before he brought it back down, grumbling the whole time.

"**HULK HATE GIRL**," he grumbled.

She pouted, "Why do you hate me?"

His green eyes widened slightly. "**GIRL MAKES IT DARK.**"

"I make it dark? When Bruce is…"

"**PUNY BANNER DOESN'T WANT HULK. WANTS DARK. GIRL MAKES IT DARK."**

"So when Bruce is in control, you're in the dark?"

He bobbed his head once in agreement.

"You don't like the dark?"

"**HULK LIKE TO SMASH."**

"You can't smash all the time."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Hey…don't be like that," she chastised. "I'm trying to help you."

**"HULK WANT TO SMASH…NOT ALL THE TIME."**

"You can't smash me. You can't smash friends. I am your friend."

"**GIRL IS NOT FRIEND. GIRL MAKES IT DARK." **He snarled.

_Oh god…get control back, Alice. Get control back._

"You and I," she motioned between them, "we HAVE to get along. You don't have to like me, but we have to work together."

"**PUNY BANNER LIKE YOU,"** he said, almost grudgingly.

_So he IS aware of Bruce's feelings._

"He's not puny. That's disrespectful…that's mean. And yes. He likes me. Likes me a lot. And I like him a lot. I'd like to like you, Hulk."

The Other Guy merely grunted, shifting his weight awkwardly.

"I don't want you to be in the dark all the time. Sometimes, we need you. We need you to smash."

"**GIRL LET HULK SMASH**?"

"Yes, I'll let you smash. I'll let you smash lots of stuff. Just not friends. Not me, or Thor, or Steve, or Tony. "

"**HULK LIKE TONY**."

"Of course. Who wouldn't?" quipped Tony.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I'll let you out to smash things as much as possible."

The Other Guy smirked. "**SMASH PUNY GOD**?"

"Puny God?" Alice frowned as she tried to think of what he was talking about.

"Captain Rudolph," said Tony, gesturing out from his forehead to form antlers.

"I still have no idea…"

Steve sighed and shook his head disapprovingly at Tony, "He's talking about Loki, Alice."

The Hulk pointed towards Steve and grunted in agreement.

"Oh, LOKI? Right. Sure, if Loki ever comes back, I promise you can smash him to your heart's content."

Thor made a sound of disapproval from the wall where he was currently leaning.

The Other Guy grinned.

"Is that okay? You won't smash me?"

"**HULK NOT SMASH GIRL**," he conceded.

"Thank you, do you still hate me?"

"**NO. GIRL IS FRIEND. HULK NOT HATE FRIENDS." **

She smiled and felt her heart swell.

_Friend. I'm his friend._

He beat his chest impatiently. She chuckled softly.

_He did astoundingly well this time. Maybe I can let him have a little fun. _

She caught Thor's eye, she motioned back to the Other Guy with her head. Thor beamed, straightening up.

"Hulk? Can you…play smash? Smash-lite?"

He grinned broadly, turning towards the blond god.

Alice backed up to where Steve was currently standing.

"That was nothing short of amazing, Alice," he said.

"I'm just relieved he's not trying to kill me now. It's nice to have some kind of an understanding with him. I had no idea he was scared of being in the dark. Of being alone."

Steve shook his head in amazement. "I mean it, though. How do you do that? How do you love one part of the man, when the other part is that?"

Thor went flying over their heads into the wall behind them. He leapt back up and threw his hammer at the Hulk.

Alice placed a shield over herself and Steve so they wouldn't' get conked in the head while they were talking.

"We don't get to pick who we fall in love with."

"That's true…How are you doing, Alice? With everything?"

She shrugged. "I'm getting by."

Steve nodded, sensing the mood and dropping it. "Are piano lessons still on the table? I'd still like to learn."

Mjolnir whizzed by, missing the shield by mere inches. The Hulk roared loudly, swinging Thor around by the ankles.

She looked up at him, "Hell of a time to ask."

He shrugged, "As good a time as any."

"Whenever you have the time, I'll probably be available. Just make it during the day, so it doesn't cut into my Bruce-time."

"No problem. You guys are better, then?"

"We're getting by," she said, reusing the phrase from earlier.

It was the truth. She was. They were. Getting by wasn't the dream, but it was better than not.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the Hulk pummel Thor into the ground and Tony whizzing around excitedly. She was sure he'd have tons to say about her newfound relationship with the Hulk. The phrases "pussy-whipped" and "Hulk-Handler" came to mind.

She grimaced. She didn't really like referring to him as the Hulk. As far as she knew, it was the name he gave himself. Bruce simply referred to him as the Other Guy. She liked to respect him and do the same.

If she stopped herself to look at the weird relationship she had with Bruce, it would probably freak her out a little bit. He was a far cry from Prince Charming. It was more Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It made her laugh to think of bringing him home to meet her Pops.

_Hey, Pops. This is my boyfriend, Dr. Bruce Banner. He's a nuclear physicist. Oh…ha ha, he sometimes turns into an angry green rage monster. But, he treats me well. _

The weirdest part about this was that her Pops would probably like Bruce better than Zeke even AFTER all the stuff with the Other Guy.

She suddenly realized she wasn't paying attention to what was going on with the Hulk and Thor's play date. She scanned the room and noticed that the Asgardian was looking a little winded, so she made the executive decision that play time was over.

"Okay, Hulk, that's enough. You've worn him out."

"Nonsense, Lady Alice!" wheezed Thor, "I'm only just getting started, the Green One and I can keep this up for hours."

The "Green One" responded with a jovial uppercut to Thor's chin, sending him flying straight up in the air.

"ENOUGH," Alice said forcefully.

The Other Guy grumbled bad-naturedly.

"It's time to go to sleep," she said, feeling very much like a mother speaking to an unruly child.

He grumbled more, glaring at her.

"I know you don't like the dark, but everyone needs to sleep. Everyone sleeps."

He sat down forcefully, folding his arms over his chest petulantly. At least he was going down without a fight.

She increased the siphon, trying not to take too much energy at once. It didn't hurt him at all, but it made things that much more uncomfortable for her.

She pulled at the threads of his energy, feeling it enter her body. She shivered. She hated this part. As a result of the constant siphon she had on Bruce, she had actually lowered her core body temperature by 2 degrees, so she was always cold. It was worse when she had to bring him back, though.

She watched as his body shrunk, down from over 9 feet tall to Bruce's stature, just under 6 feet. His skin lightened from green back to Bruce's slightly tanned and ruddy skin tone. Alice wasn't sure why he was perpetually tanned, he rarely went outside.

But soon, her Bruce lay before her, very much asleep and wearing only the stretched out shreds of his pants over his purple shorts.

Thor, who had regained his composure, walked over to carry him out of the training room and up to the apartment.

Alice went with Tony to the lab. She always got shaky and weird after turning Bruce back from the Hulk. There wasn't any way to help her, other than letting her expel some of the energy. Tony and Bruce were both working on a storage cell of some kind that she could expel some of the excess energy into, but they were running into space issues. It needed to be portable. The unit they had now was the size of hers and Bruce's bedroom. Not exactly portable. It also wasn't stable. And it needed to be. Stability was key when dealing with radioactive materials, apparently.

Sometimes, it was just enough to give her a safe place to come down off the effects.

She curled up into a ball on the bed in the Med Bay, pulling a blanket over herself and shivering.

"Can I get you anything?" Tony's metallic voice asked. He was still in his suit.

"Some tea, please?"

"Anything but tea."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I'll have Darcy get it."

"Thank you, Tony."

The last time he'd gotten her tea, he'd grown impatient at waiting for it to steep and squeezed the bag into the cup. It was practically undrinkable.

She laid her head down on the pillow.

Darcy came in with her mug.

"Thank you, tea wench," Alice quipped good-naturedly.

"Ha ha, keep it up, Tennessee," she sat down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold."

"Is the cuddle monster still asleep?"

"Yeah, it's only been a half hour."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be here as soon as he can."

Alice smiled and sat up, shivering when her skin hit the air of the room. She reached for the tea.

The mug was hot. Perfect.

"Thanks, Darce."

"Don't mention it."

"Are you busy?"

"Nah. Jane's gone."

They were quiet for a few minutes while Alice chugged the tea as fast as she was able.

She handed the empty mug back to Darcy.

"Want some more?"

"Not now, I'm good."

"Mmkay." She set the mug down on the table beside the bed. Alice pulled the blanket around her, shivering again.

"So…we haven't REALLY had a chance to talk in a while…"

Alice groaned, "Okay, what is it?"

"Nothing…just wanted to know how it was…" Darcy picked at her cuticles.

"How what was?"

"You know damn well what I'm referring to."

"Fine, fine…but if you're staying, get under the blanket and keep me warm."

"Yay," Darcy scooted down to the foot of the bed, pulling the blanket over her lap. "Don't touch me with your icy feet, though."

"Please?"

"Ugh, fine. Give 'em here," Darcy reached for Alice's feet and casually rubbed them until they started to warm up. "Speak," she commanded.

"Okay…what do you want to know first?"

"How big is it?" she grinned.

"I'm not telling you that."

"Please?"

"It's big enough," Alice acquiesced.

Darcy grinned. "I figured…next question…was it good?"

Alice grinned, "I believe you already know the answer to that."

"I want DETAILS!"

"It was very good. Very good."

"And…"

"Well, the first time, it was...brief. But, it had been 8 years for him, so that's understandable."

"Right, right."

"Also, you know, it's awkward being with someone new for the first time."

Darcy grinned.

"But…it's not brief OR awkward anymore."

"I'll bet he's crazy, is he crazy?"

"I don't know…define crazy?"

"Is he energetic? Does he suggest different positions? Is he after you all the time?"

"Yes, yes, and sort of…I'm after him a lot too...I mean, we're technically still in the 'honeymoon phase', so it's difficult to gauge that."

Darcy squealed. "Is he into kinky stuff? I bet he likes getting his hair pulled."

Alice laughed, "Not that I know of, really. And I haven't really pulled his hair."

"You haven't 'really'? So you have."

"Darcy!" Alice exclaimed.

"How is he, stamina wise? Does it take him a while to recover?'

"It takes him no time at all," said Alice, blushing and looking down at her hands.

"I'll bet it's because of his super powers or whatever. Jane says Thor is like that. She gets tired way before he does."

Alice laughed. "Bruce and Thor have very different abilities. Thor is technically an alien."

"Is it green?"

"Is what green?"

Darcy looked at her knowingly.

"NO! It's normal looking…just bigger."

Darcy's eyes grew wide.

Tony knocked on the door frame. "What's bigger?" He stopped, a grin slowly spreading across his face, "Oh my. Hands where I can see 'em, ladies."

"NOTHING. It's none of your business," said Alice haughtily.

"If it's MY business, then yes. Yes, it is bigger."

"It's not. It's really not your business. It's not ABOUT your business…"

"It's Bruce's business and you know all about Bruce's business," quipped Darcy.

"Oh myyy…" Tony waggled his eyebrows. "Alice, you're a very lucky lady. Are you having trouble walking?"

"Tony, enough. What do you need?" Alice asked exasperatedly.

He raised his hands in front of him in mock surrender, "While I would love to join in your Bruce fangirl circle jerk, I DO have a legit reason why I'm here."

"Okay…"

"Right, well, I'm no doctor, but I DO know numbers…"

Darcy snorted, "THAT'S debatable."

"What? I do!"

Darcy pointed at the clock on the wall. "Tell me what time it is, Tony."

"Shut. Your mouth," he said, his voice low and threatening.

"Oh my gosh, Tony, can you not tell time?" asked Alice, barely stifling a giggle.

He shook his head and waved his arm flippantly, "There are digital clocks. I KNOW what time it is."

"You can't tell time on a standard clock, can you?" she asked, sneaking a peek at Darcy, whose shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.

Tony narrowed his eyes, "Can I? Yes. Will I? No. Because it takes TOO LONG. I don't have the time…know what? I don't have to explain myself to you," he pointed at Alice. "OR you," he directed to Darcy. "I have some important information and—"

"Is that information about how the big hand is on the twelve and the little hand is on the two, so it's snack time?" asked Darcy.

"NO," he said, rolling his eyes. He returned his attention to whatever it was he had pulled up on his tablet screen. "According to these readouts, there are two values that have been steadily increasing each training session. Instead of decreasing and going back down to normal, they level out elevated and then increase every time you siphon a huge amount from Bruce or from the Hulk. Now…I have no idea what these values represent, because Bruce insists on labeling everything and his labels make no sense. I'm emailing these results to you AND Bruce, so he can look at them with you." He tapped the screen a few times and sent the email. "And for YOUR information," he turned to Darcy, "Snack time is at 1:30, and I had a banana. It was both delicious and good for me, so BITE ME."

Alice no longer felt like laughing. She was too worked up about what Tony had revealed. Now she'd be worrying until Bruce woke up and could reassure her. She was sure it was nothing, but it could always be SOMETHING. Plus, that new symptom she was exhibiting, the green veins on her face. Not good.

Tony had walked away soon after and Alice nervously gathered her things and got ready to go back to the apartment.

"You okay, Tennessee?"

"Yeah…just…yeah, I'm fine."

Darcy pulled her close for a hug, "You ARE fine. Bruce would die before he'd let anything happen to you. If something's wrong, he and Tony will figure it out. You'll be okay." Her tone sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than Alice.

Alice returned the hug, "I know, Darce. I'll be fine."

She waved goodbye and boarded the elevator, ready to curl up beside Bruce and wait for him to wake up.

When the elevator doors opened in the common area, she was shocked to see Steve sitting at the counter talking to Betty.

_What's SHE doing here? Wasn't she supposed to leave last week? _

"Alice! You're JUST the person I was looking for."

Alice raised her eyebrows.

_Joy. And Joy-ness. _

"I have some books here that I was going to give to Bruce, but he's asleep, so I was hoping I could give them to you?" she asked brightly, handing a stack of thick, rather heavy looking books to Alice.

_Couldn't she have just left them with Steve? Or an intern downstairs for that matter? Why is she here? In this tower? So close to my home? To MINE and Bruce's home? _

"Thank you…" Alice arbitrarily looked at the spines, they were about mutant heredity.

"Bruce was interested and he thought you would be too, I suppose you two will want to start a family?" asked Betty.

"Uh…yes. Yes, I suppose we will."

_Not that it's any of YOUR business._

"Well, that's wonderful," Betty smiled. "So…I hear you had a training session with the Other Guy today?" she looked between Steve and Alice.

Alice bristled. She knew that Betty had a past with Bruce, but it still hurt to hear her speaking so impudently about him. "I did, yes…" she silently cursed Steve for spilling the beans. He probably didn't think anything of it, but Alice really didn't want to share any part of her life with this woman. She couldn't be friends with her and that was that.

"How did THAT go? Do you get along with him?"

"I—uh, think we have an understanding…"

"Don't sell yourself short, Alice!" Steve turned to Betty, "she was AMAZING. She stopped him from going on a rampage, TALKED to him, reasoned with him. He used to HATE her and now, I think she's talked into some kind of agreement."

"That IS amazing. He's notoriously hard to reason with. You must have a gift indeed. I'm lucky, the Other Guy liked me most of the time so I never had to worry about anything like that. You must be relieved!"

Alice stiffened again. _So, the Other Guy LIKED her? _She felt betrayed somehow. _Why did he like her and hate me? What's so bad about me? What does SHE have that I don't? _

"Yeah. I'm relieved…" Alice smiled weakly. Steve frowned.

"I am being so RUDE, I should go. Let you rest. I'm sure you're exhausted!"

"I am, actually…"

"Well, I'm going to be in town until Wednesday, I would love it if you and Bruce could come have lunch with me before I leave. I sent him an email, but I know his track record with that kind of thing," she laughed.

"I'll run it by him," said Alice.

"Thanks," Betty grinned. "I'll talk to you soon, I hope."

Alice nodded, waving as she left. Once the elevator doors had shut, she rounded on Steve.

"What were you thinking? Letting her in here? Telling her about me?"

Steve raised his hands, surprised. "You and Bruce seemed to be fine with her here. She came up on her own; she obviously has some kind of security clearance. What's the matter?"

"The Other Guy LIKES her? He LIKES her? What does she have that I don't? Why did it take him so long to come around to the idea of me? Does that mean that Bruce really did like her more than me? So much that it filtered into the Other Guy?"

"Alice…that really sounds like something you should talk to Bruce about…" Steve said helplessly.

"Right. You're right. I'm sorry. This is…NOT what you asked for. I'm sorry…sorry sorry sorry…" she said repeatedly, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose as a headache took hold.

"Alice… Comparing you and Betty would be like comparing apples and oranges. The Hulk 'likes' Betty because Betty is weak. She's like a little frightened bunny in the woods that he can protect from the bad guys. She poses no threat to him and never has. You…you are something else completely. He's scared of you. Arguably the strongest, most dangerous BEING in the world is scared of YOU. That's definitely impressive."

Alice smiled, feeling her face redden slightly.

"Besides, the Hulk's feelings have no bearing on what Bruce feels for you. Or what he feels for Betty, for that matter. You should still talk to him, but I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Thank you, Steve," she said quietly.

"No problem. Sorry I bailed on the gym today. Wanna go run with me tomorrow?"

"Okay. Just don't stand me up again…and wear ankle weights this time. It's just embarrassing that you have to keep stopping to run in place while I catch up to you."

"Gotcha," he said, grinning broadly. "Don't forget about piano. I still want to learn."

"I won't. We'll set something up soon."

"Okay, Alice. You should go and rest."

"I will. Thanks again, Steve."

She returned to the apartment finally. She changed clothes and climbed into bed with Bruce. He was snoring quietly.

She knew he felt better when he woke up after transforming to find her beside him, rather than somewhere else. Somewhere else usually meant something bad.

She hoped he would wake up soon to go over Tony's findings. She REALLY hoped it wasn't anything too serious. It was easy to be optimistic in front of other people, but when left to her own devices, Alice was a true blue pessimist. As she began to let her worry take root, fear blossomed.

She tightened her hold on him, as if the tighter she held him the more she could hide from the problems looming over her. Over BOTH of them. If she held on tight enough, hid her face in just the right part of his chest, concentrated fully on the rhythm of his breathing, on his heartbeat, she could forget about everything. She dozed off waiting for him to awaken.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so don't get mad at me...**

**Couple of things. Hulk. Dialogue. I had such a hard time with it. I hope I did alright. I also couldn't find a whole lot of anything about what the Other Guy thinks of Bruce. Mostly "puny scientist", "puny Banner", that kind of thing. **

**Anyway, I read something recently that Mark Ruffalo said about Banner/Hulk, "It's existence, they're fighting over existence, you know?" So, I kind of took that and went with it for this Hulk/Alice scene. I hope it reads well and that you like it. :)**

**Also, can we talk about how cute it is that the Other Guy calls Alice "Girl"? D'awwww! I seem to remember a certain red-haired mutant who thought she wouldn't know what to do if she was "just girl". (Reference Crimson & Clover Chapter 10...see what I did there?) :P**

**So, some scary stuff for Alice coming up. Scary for Bruce too, it's his greatest fear to hurt those he loves. I think he's been so focused on the Other Guy not hurting her, that he wasn't expecting that he, as Bruce, could hurt her as well...I'm sure he'll figure it out soon.**

**I did warn that this installment was going to be full of angst...I hope I don't lose anybody...don't worry, it WILL get better...eventually. **

**Steve was a nice refreshing drink of water, wasn't he? I've been using Darcy as the Greek Chorus/voice of reason for a while, I thought I'd give Steve some face time. He's pretty awesome. **

**And just WHAT is Betty up to?**

**As always, I don't own any part of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**I have this story fully written, just posting a chapter a week. I've been early on updates, so expect chapter 6 in about a week. :)**

**Don't forget to Favorite/Follow/Review if you feel so inclined!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Sugar' by the Editors. Warnings include language, probably.**

* * *

**Bruce**

"Ms. Morgan, like I told you before…MULTIPLE TIMES, I don't have time to do any PR stunts for you."

Jules was rapidly stepping on Bruce's last nerve. He was simply trying to finish his work before Alice got here. He had several experiments to catch up on and some math to double check. Jules was proving that she could be so much more than the average nuisance.

She huffed, "They aren't for ME, they're for YOU. And why not? It's not like I'm asking for the world or anything. Just take your girlfriend for a walk and let some people photograph you. That's all I want from you!"

"It's NOT a good idea for Alice to be in the public eye right now. She's on the radar of some pretty scary people and I, for one, don't want a repeat of what happened last fall." Bruce rapidly pecked out a few new logarithms into his tracking program. There had still been no sign of Thomas and he was running out of ideas. Jules was NOT helping.

"Your approval rating is still low. You NEED to do something to raise it," Jules said, exasperated.

_Oh for crying out loud…_

"I'm not running for office, I'm just trying to live a normal life and finish my work. You are making both of those goals very difficult," Bruce said dryly. She really wasn't. She was splitting his focus that had already been split. Between his and Alice's relationship problems, the search for Thomas and now, Alice's health, he really had no time for Jules' supposed "problems".

"Don't make me go to Alice on this," she warned.

_Dammit…_

Bruce closed his eyes and sighed, knowing he had been defeated.

_Add one more to the list. Let's see how many times we can split this hair._

"I don't like staged photo ops," he said haughtily, determined to maintain as much control of the situation as he possibly could.

"Fine. An interview then. For the Daily Bugle."

"Fine."

"For the social page."

Bruce made a disgusted noise before countering, "Not with Parker. Don't make me talk to that little—"

"I'll see what I can do," Jules said, raising her hands up in surrender.

"And have whoever is conducting the interview come here. I don't want to waste an afternoon."

"Of COURSE, Dr. Banner. Anything else? A bowl of ONLY yellow M&Ms? Chilled champagne? A boy to prop your feet on?"

"Whatever it takes to get this done quickly," he said, raising an eyebrow, but never looking up from the computer screen.

"You've got it," she imitated his dry tone.

"Now, could you PLEASE leave?"

"Tell Alice to call me. I haven't hung out with her in too long."

"She has a phone. Call her."

"I tried that. I think she thinks I'm calling to complain about you."

"Happens a lot, I'm sure it's an honest mistake on her part."

"Please. Just tell her I'd like to have lunch or something."

"I'll see what I can do."

Of course he'd tell Alice. He wasn't going to stand in the way of her friendship with anyone. But, he had to admit, he liked having something he could annoy Jules with as much as she annoyed him.

"Dr. Banner, you have officially surpassed Tony as my most DIFFICULT client."

"Bully for me," he said, closing his laptop and picking it up before turning to walk back to his office.

Jules left, calling out a good-bye to Tony as she did.

Bruce finished inputting the rest of the data he'd compiled. He then went back to his analysis of Alice's vital stats.

He'd been monitoring her regularly to check for any anomalies. She wasn't here right now, but she would be soon and he needed to have the med bay ready for her.

He absolutely hated doing this to her. She'd been in the lab every day since Saturday. Today would make 4 days. She'd patiently waited for him to take samples of blood, to attach leads to her chest and head so he could get readings. He'd hooked her up to his GREAT machine to measure her gamma levels.

He was really worried about both her gamma levels AND the state of her adrenal glands. She was producing high amounts of cortisol. Off the charts, actually. Cortisol, being the hormone that is released when under stress, was harmful in large amounts over an extended period of time.

While nothing seemed overtly wrong with her, her adrenal glands were working overtime to produce more and more cortisol. She was showing the early signs of adrenal fatigue and uncontrolled stress.

It would explain why she was unfathomably cranky all the time.

But he still had no idea why. Sure, she was under a lot of stress, but these levels were extremely high. The only comparison he could think of would be torture victims. She certainly wasn't being tortured, so he was drawing a question mark.

They were going with Logan in a few days to visit Professor Charles Xavier. Bruce was to the point where he needed some outside help. The last he'd heard, Dr. McCoy still worked at Xavier's school. He could definitely be of some use.

He heard the lab door buzz as it opened. Alice entered and waved hello to Tony, pausing to talk with him. Banter. He teased her, she teased back, smiling.

It wasn't her usual smile. This one was cloaking something else.

She'd just been so reserved lately. Even more so than what had become usual for her.

She finished her conversation with Tony, excusing herself and walking back to where Bruce was standing. She had dark circles under eyes from lack of sleep. Her skin lacked the usual glow and her posture was slouchy. She looked exhausted.

"I don't even get a hug or anything?" she asked, smirking. A bit of the spark returned to her eyes. A welcome sight, if only temporary.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"Dangerous pastime," she chided.

Bruce chuckled lightly and pulled her close, embracing her tightly. He buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent and trying to just pause this moment.

Just pause it for a while, because soon, he'd have to return to reality. A reality where he was trying to figure out if he was toxic to her. A reality where he didn't have the answers. That was what frightened him the most.

She wasn't sick. Not outright. That much he did know. He'd run every test under the sun. No cancer, nothing out of the ordinary except for the high levels of cortisol. And the insomnia, loss of appetite and headaches.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"Bruce, really. I'm fine."

"Were you able to take a nap?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"I don't know…an hour maybe?"

_That's not long enough. She has at least 3 nights of sleep to catch up on…_

"Alice, you really should try to…"

"I can't sleep unless you're there…"

"Well, I'll leave with you after we're done here. I'll stay as long as you need to sleep."

She smiled weakly. At least it was genuine. "That's so sweet of you…"

"I can bring a lot of this home with me anyway," he said, gesturing to the work out on his desk.

The smile dropped from her face. She raised an eyebrow, turning to walk back to the med bay. Bruce followed her. She unzipped her hooded sweatshirt and struggled with it to take it off.

He wasn't sure if he'd said something to offend her. It seemed many things were offensive, especially if he said them.

He reached over to help her, but she jerked away from him, pulling the sweatshirt off in a huff and dropping it onto the floor.

"Did you eat today?" Bruce asked, bending to pick it up. It was a legitimate question. He needed to know for research purposes. Plus, low blood sugar made her very unreasonable.

"Yes," she spat. "Want me to start keeping a food journal? Or maybe I could come in here and you could force feed me with a tube?"

Bruce set his jaw. "Alice…you know I'm only worried about your health…" he said, trying to remain calm.

"My HEALTH is FINE!"

"For now. If you can't control your stress levels, your health COULD be affected."

She shook her head slightly, biting her lip and steeling her gaze. She lay back abruptly, sticking her arm out towards him.

His heart wrenched when he saw the purple bruise in the crook of her elbow. The other arm was no different. Neither were her wrists. He found the vein quickly even though she flinched, sucking in a breath when he stuck her with the needle.

"Sorry…" he said softly, both for the way he was acting and for hurting her.

"It's okay," she said, sighing. "I'm used to it."

_Used to what? Me sticking you with the needle or hurting your feelings? Probably both…_

"I'm sorry for that, too," he said sadly.

"Just…stay at the lab if you have work," she said suddenly, her voice wavering slightly.

_What did I do now? Is she being passive aggressive? Or does she really not want me to come home with her?_

He frowned, "I thought you said…"

"I was just being stupid. I know I need to sleep. I don't need you there to babysit me. I could just as easily go over to Darcy's to take a nap before you get home." She coughed, covering her mouth with her left hand.

He searched her face, hoping to find something that would tell him what she was thinking. "Alice…"

She shook her head and turned to smile unconvincingly at him, her eyes shiny and watery. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine," she said, nodding rapidly a few times before looking down at her lap. "I'm fine," she repeated.

"Who exactly are you trying to convince?" he asked gently.

"I'm. FINE," she said reassuringly.

_She sounds like a broken record…_

"I'll come home. It's really no trouble. All the work is on my laptop anyway, I could just as easily do it at home as here."

"Don't…" she said.

"Why not? You said you wanted me there with you…"

"But you won't really be there with me, will you?"

_There it is._

"What?" he asked, merely trying to make sure he understood her completely.

"Nothing."

"No, it's something…" Bruce smoothly removed the needle and pressed a cotton ball over the small puncture. "What's wrong?"

_And why can't you just tell me instead of making me play this game?_

Alice closed her eyes momentarily before answering. She bent her elbow and shrugged his hand off of her, pressing on the cotton herself.

"I just…was hoping that you'd be available tonight."

"I just told you, I'm going to BE at the apartment tonight…" Bruce said, his tone slow and deliberate. "With you…"

She exhaled loudly, "Emotionally available. Mentally available? There for me?"

He frowned, confused.

_But, she's going to be ASLEEP! _

_ Calm down, Banner. She's sleep deprived and probably hungry. _

"I don't have to work on anything if that's what you want."

"Why isn't it what YOU want? You used to like being with me!" she exclaimed anxiously.

"I LOVE being with you."

She sniffed, hiccupping as she undoubtedly held back tears.

_Don't cry…what do you want me to say?_

"You don't," she accused glumly.

_Don't respond to that, it's a trap._

"You're going to be asleep…that was the only reason I was bringing work home with me."

"So you can't be bothered to spend time with me without something to do?"

"If you're going to be unconscious, I thought I'd get some work done before I go to sleep."

_Banner, why are you defending this? It isn't going to hurt you to give her what she wants._

"So that's a 'no'?"

Bruce turned back to face her, gesturing wildly. He could feel his pulse quicken as his face grew red. "No, it's not a 'no'! It's a 'what the hell, Alice'? It's me trying DESPERATELY to figure out what you want me to say here."

"I want you to enjoy my company, goddammit!"

"Well, you certainly are doing a wonderful job of ensuring that."

_Shit. Good. Great. AMAZING work._

"It's not my job to always be cheerful for you," she seethed.

"Alice, you know damn well that's not what I meant! Stop putting words in my mouth."

"Really? That's not what you said?"

_It kind of is…_

"I was just…I didn't mean it."

She was quiet for a long moment. The longest moment ever.

"What am I doing today? Where do you want me?" she asked, swinging her legs around to the side of the bed.

"Alice…we really need to—"

"Finish this so I can go take a nap. Or maybe I'll just take one while you're doing your tests…unless you need me awake?"

Bruce felt completely helpless. He knew she wasn't going to sleep during the tests, but she'd pretend to so she wouldn't have to talk to him about any of this.

"Alice…we really should talk about this…you're upset with me and I don't want that."

"I hate when you do that…" she said quietly.

"Do what?"

"Make it sound like it's me that's the problem. That I'M upset with YOU. Everything is happening TO YOU, nothing is your fault."

"That's not what I said."

"That's what it sounds like."

"Well, I don't mean for it to. I've done something to upset you and I don't want that."

She closed her eyes. "I can't…where do you want me?"

Bruce sighed, "Over here…the GREAT machine again."

"Fantastic," she said dryly, rising to follow him to the machine.

Everything went relatively smoothly, they didn't bicker or argue once the tests began.

Darcy approached when they were about halfway through. She handed Alice a mug of tea, which she accepted with a smile. She kept back, out of Bruce's way for the most part.

When Bruce left the room to check Alice's vitals, Darcy followed him.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" she asked quietly.

"Not yet. I know what ISN'T wrong with her."

"What isn't wrong with her?"

"She doesn't have cancer, if that's what you're hinting for," he snapped.

"Banner, knock the shit, alright? I know you're probably more worried than the rest of us combined, but that doesn't give you the right to withhold information. I was asking a simple question. I don't deserve to be told off for that."

Bruce sighed, "I know. I'm sorry, Darcy. I know you're worried too. She's not just mine to worry about."

Darcy nodded, staying silent. She followed him back into the med bay.

She sat on a stool on the opposite side of Alice's bed. Alice handed her the barely touched mug of tea. "I can't drink it when it starts to cool..." Alice shook her head and grimaced. "It's nauseating."

Darcy took the mug from her, staring into it thoughtfully. "OH!" she exclaimed, "OH!"

"What?" asked Alice, looking slightly perturbed.

"Maybe...MAYBE...MAYBE you're pregnant?" she asked excitedly.

Bruce felt his stomach drop and all the blood drain from his face. "What?"

"I mean...it makes sense," said Darcy, "She has no appetite, cranky, and neither of you are prime examples of a normal human being, so who knows HOW she'd react if she was carrying a little baby Hulk in there?"

"She's not," said Bruce adamantly. He looked over at Alice, "You're not, right?"

Alice shook her head, "Of course not, there's NO WAY I'm pregnant..."

"You're pregnant?!" Tony's voice boomed from the doorway.

"No, I just said I'm..."

"I knew it. You looked like you were putting on some weight...Pepper owes me 10 bucks now."

"No, I'm not pregnant...HEY...what do you MEAN 'putting on some weight'?" she asked, offended. She pulled up her shirt, revealing her stomach, "Does THIS look like I have room for a baby in there? I've been training with Captain FREAKING America, and not to brag, but my abs are tight."

"and, AND," Bruce interjected, "We didn't even HAVE sex around the time she was ovulating this month. Not in a way that could result in pregnancy, anyway..."

"TMI, Doc," said Darcy, raising her hands in the air.

"NOT TO MENTION, I'm on birth control," said Alice, staring hard at Bruce. "That's really all that needs to be said here."

"Well, don't tell Pepper," said Tony, pocketing his phone. "I don't want to owe her ten bucks now."

"Tony, you already told her?" asked Alice.

He shrugged.

"Don't you think she's going to notice when there's no baby in 9 months?" asked Alice.

"She probably won't remember. She fronts, but she's not that smart."

"I'm telling her you said that..." said Alice, crossing her arms.

"Don't! I was just kidding, you KNOW I'm kidding. I wouldn't even be ALIVE if it weren't for Pepper."

"That outta teach you to tell me I'm putting on weight..."

Tony fumed for a moment. "Birth control? Really? I always pegged you more for a 'rhythm method' type of gal. What with your hippie ways and all."

"Rhythm method? Excuse me, but I was with Zeke for 7 years and NEVER had a scare. No way that was the rhythm method."

"Okay, okay..." Bruce interrupted. He didn't really like thinking about Alice and Zeke together and talking about their birth control methods put him in a bad place.

"I bet Bruce has you on some kind of crazy super BC, anyway," said Darcy. "Wouldn't want to risk a pregnancy on top of everything else going on here..." she gestured between he and Alice.

"Our family planning decisions are NO ONE'S business but ours," he said firmly.

"I was just saying..."

"Well, DON'T," he snapped.

"Bruce..." Alice's cool hand squeezed his. "Calm down."

He nodded, letting his eyes close for a moment. His head was throbbing. "Darcy, I apologize...again."

"Don't worry about it, Dr. B," she answered quietly. She turned and grabbed Tony's arm, dragging him out the door. "C'mon, Iron Man, show me your new suit."

Bruce waited until they'd left before turning back to Alice, "Alice...I..."

She shushed him, pulling him down to kiss him softly. "It's okay, Bruce."

"No, I want to talk about this. Now. Right now."

"Okay..." she nodded warily.

"This is important...I need to you know that I love you and I DO want children someday. I want to make sure that it will be safe for you and safe for the child. But, I do want a family, with you."

She nodded, a tear dripping down her cheek as she fought back a smile, "Me too,"she whispered.

* * *

**Angela**

Angela didn't really care for the company she'd been keeping lately.

Thomas was ridiculous. She didn't remember him being so spastic and weird when he'd been at Meadowbrook. Maybe it had been the comparative group of people she'd seen regularly. Now that she wasn't around the criminally insane on a regular basis, Thomas seemed to be well on that path himself.

Of course Thomas still didn't hold a candle to her newest acquaintance, John Ryker.

Middle aged, as most army generals tended to be, he was conservative to a fault, set in his ways and in her professional opinion, completely crazy.

Not that her professional opinion was worth much these days. Living in hotel rooms until their cash ran out, they had been reduced to sleeping anywhere that was warm. When that mutant found them in that nuclear power plant, she thought they were done for.

Well, SHE was, anyway. Thomas had left her high and dry when she'd been pinned to the wall by the mutant's claws through her blouse. He had let her go, though. By some miracle. Or maybe it was because she was crying. She wasn't sure.

She and Thomas were currently staying on an army base with the General. They were sleeping on army cots, but at least it was warm. If she never saw snow again, it'd be too soon.

As for Ryker, she didn't know how he was doing what he was doing, but he was.

Somehow, he'd managed to hide the fact that he was certifiably insane from the rest of the US Armed Forces. The troops under his command didn't seem to notice either. But with what he'd shown them in the past week, there was no doubt in Angela's mind.

She'd heard from Ryker's own lips that what he wanted from the Hulk and Alice wasn't lifelong servitude. No, it wasn't that. He didn't even want them dead.

It was only their DNA he wanted. He'd take it from Banner, or he'd take it from the Hulk, he didn't have a preference. And he wanted Alice's eggs. All of them. He wanted supreme rights to all their offspring, it seemed. Not only for a way to cure his wife's cancer, but for a future army.

In a way, she was surprised that Thomas had been on board with this. He'd been so vocal about hating Samson for doing precisely that to him.

But, here he was, drinking a soda, laughing at Ryker's lame jokes and adding his own useful information where he could. Telling him how he could hack into Stark Tower if needed.

"Hell, I can break in ANYWHERE as long as it's a computer based security system. And they ALL are now," Thomas laughed.

"I bet you could rob a bank and no one would know unless they counted the money," said Ryker.

He and Thomas found that hilarious, if the volume of their laughter was any clue.

Angela knew Thomas well enough to know what his fake laugh sounded like. Unless he'd been playing her for the entire time she'd known him. She wasn't so naïve as to think she knew everything about him, but she knew a great deal.

"Well, I hope you're ready to see it. I'm told it's…disturbing the first time," said Ryker, suddenly serious.

Angela's ears pricked up at that. There had been hints, subtle clues that the General had more in his arsenal then well…an actual arsenal.

"So is everything else," laughed Thomas.

Angela raised her eyebrows and shook her head as he made a lewd gesture towards a female soldier at the door.

THAT, she knew was a ruse. He was playing the cards he'd been dealt. Ryker thought shit like that was funny, so Thomas was playing it up because they needed him to get to Alice and Bruce. Angela still didn't know what Thomas' end game was. She highly doubted that he even knew sometimes. Every single thing they did made it feel like they were flying by the seat of their pants. And he NEVER confided in her, which put her off a little. She had given up everything for him.

Well, to be fair, what she was giving up was sure to turn into the malpractice suit of the decade, but still. She felt she'd paid her dues. He owed her something, at least.

The soldier took Thomas' joke in stride, merely pursing her lips in indignation.

Ryker's laughter died off and he rose, looking at both of them to indicate that they were to follow him. They walked outside the building that was the officer's barracks. Ryker had been kind enough to give Angela her own small, but private room there. Thomas was just down the hall. As far as she could tell, Ryker was the only other occupant of the building. Maybe the other officers had abandoned ship when he went bonkers.

Angela flinched inwardly. She really didn't like terms like that to describe the mentally ill. Really, who was she to judge? She was readily handing control of her future over to this man, the man who went bonkers. What did that say about her?

It was well past sunset, but it was bright outside from the lights they had lining the roads on base. She and Thomas followed Ryker. She felt both scared and exhilarated.

"Now, this is our first success in a long line of failures…" continued the General, looking straight ahead.

"It's just like the Hulk?" asked Thomas interestedly, glancing pointedly at Angela.

"Well…it's SIMILAR. It's more powerful, but it tires quickly."

_Just like the Hulk? _

Angela's heartbeat increased. She'd seen what the Hulk had done to those two lackeys back at Meadowbrook. Turned their bones into jelly. She doubted they'd been identifiable. Luckily, they'd been wearing their name badges.

They approached a heavily guarded warehouse. The windows had been boarded up. Recently, by the look of the wood. The guards outside the doors were wearing heavy combat gear and holding what looked like grenade launchers. Their stance suggested that they weren't keeping anyone out, it was clear they were there to keep whatever it was IN. There were two control towers nearby; both had heavy artillery pointed at the warehouse.

Ryker pointed to the closest control tower, which remotely opened the doors a crack, just wide enough for them to squeeze through single file.

She went through after Ryker, before Thomas.

"It's contained for now, no need to be scared, Missy," the General nodded down towards Angela.

She felt her hands quaking as they stepped inside.

"Somehow, 'contained for now' doesn't reassure me in the least…" she said, looking around the large dark warehouse.

Everyone was silent. All she could hear was breathing. Hers. Ryker's. Thomas'. And…something else entirely…it sounded heavier. Labored. Pained.

He flipped a few switches on the wall and a line of fluorescent lights switched on.

In the center of the big room, chained with thick chains which were imbedded in concrete, was something unlike anything Angela had ever seen.

It had green skin, not unlike the Hulk's.

It had muscle upon muscle. Popping and flexing out at awkward angles. It was well over 9 feet tall. At least.

It had been a while since she'd seen the Hulk, but she was sure that this pitiful creature was bigger. It was definitely wider.

It also had strange spikes sticking out of its back.

It took Angela a moment to realize that the spikes were its…HIS spinal column. It HAD been a man. She could tell by the army issue crew cut that it had been a soldier. Probably a new recruit. Definitely not an officer.

Its breathing was erratic, it constantly twitched and twisted in the chains, parts of it looked like they were still growing, transforming, while others looked like they may have ONCE been a part of something human.

It was lopsided. The first thing that popped into her mind was Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer in Hugo's novel.

The worst part was the face. One eye bulged painfully while the other looked sunken. The bottom jaw jutted forward, giving it…HIM a distinct gorilla-like look.

Once she looked into his eyes, though, she couldn't look away.

"Who is he?" she asked, feeling a lump rising in her throat.

Ryker circled him slowly. "Experiment number 7. Lucky number 7," he stated proudly.

Angela wasn't sure what was so lucky about him. She thought death would be a better fate than what this poor man was suffering.

The thing groaned loudly, as its left arm popped and swelled and his right shoulder shrunk slightly.

"Who IS he?" she repeated.

"He's technically a success, but we can't get the transformation to stop. He's constantly changing, different parts at different times…"

"WHO IS HE?" Angela demanded.

"He used to be Private Benjamin Tibbets," said Ryker.

"Used to be…" echoed Angela.

"Now, don't you go getting attached," chided Thomas. He turned to Ryker, "She has a HISTORY of being…attached to big green rage monsters, you see…"

Angela shot a warning look at Thomas.

"Must be the big…GREEN…"

Angela turned abruptly, not wanting to beat the shit out of the disgusting little mutant in front of Ryker and that poor man chained to the floor.

"We call him 'Flux' now," called Ryker over his shoulder.

Angela stopped walking for a moment, wanting to turn and tell the General EXACTLY what she thought of that, but she thought better of it and continued on her exit.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Ack! Little late with this. Sorry about that, but this was a complete rewrite. **

**An allusion to a future chapter with the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. :P **

**So, we've put the possibility of a Baby Banner to rest...at least for now...*ominous pause***

**We've seen Ryker's hand now. Flux. (Pretty interesting villain, look him up in the Marvel Wiki). **

**While we're on Ryker, he's one sick SOB, isn't he? **

**Anywho, expect the next chapter by next Monday. :) **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, I DO own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**I have this completely written, but I'm posting a chapter a week with the help of my awesome beta, TimeLord98. **

**If you have time, check out some of the prompts, drabbles and oneshots I've been writing, I have them compiled into one story, 'Silver Linings', give it a look and feel free to leave prompts if you want. :) **

**Please Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'The Great Escape' by We Are Scientists. Warnings for this chapter: language. Angst. (There's a lot of it, so I figured it needed a warning).**

* * *

**Alice**

Alice rested her head on her hand, drumming her fingers on the cloth covered tabletop. She glanced over at Bruce, who was fidgeting in his seat, tugging at his tie. She sighed, looking around the posh restaurant where they'd agreed to meet Betty.

"I hate ties," Bruce said for the umpteenth time, tugging at it again.

"I know," said Alice, slightly annoyed. She smoothed the front of her dress. "Karen called her, right?"

"Karen?"

"Bruce...Karen…Pepper's new assistant."

"Oh, I didn't know that was her name."

"You really should make an effort to learn people's names, Bruce."

He shrugged, "I'm sure she called her. She was the one who confirmed the reservations."

Alice rolled her eyes, "Doesn't mean she actually did. She's rather incompetent."

Bruce chuckled, "You don't like her?"

She shook her head, "She thinks she's going to get famous because I did."

"Can't really blame her, can you?"

"She needs to focus on her job. I didn't go around throwing myself at every superhero I came in contact with."

"Not on purpose, anyway…" Bruce said, laughing.

"That will be quite enough out of you, sir," she looked at him pointedly.

Bruce smirked and pulled at his tie again.

"You're going to undo the double Windsor I diligently tied for you…"

"I don't see why we couldn't have lunch back at Stark Tower…"

"Sorry. I didn't realize it'd be such a big deal."

"I just…hate places like this."

"But you came."

"Yes, because you asked me to."

_Is that really why?_

"Really? If that was the case, I'd think we'd have gone out more before now."

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, offended.

She shrugged. There was no way she was going to say what she was thinking. That he came for Betty. She knew deep down it wasn't true, but it didn't stop her from wanting to pick a fight with him.

"Alice, stop it."

She picked at the edge of her napkin, changing the topic. "The least she could do is be on time."

"She's very busy, I'm sure," Bruce said absently.

"Yeah, I guess I should be thrilled she's even deigning to grace me with her presence, right?" spat Alice sarcastically. "Even though it was HER idea in the first place."

"That's not what I meant…damn, Alice, I'm just making conversation. Why do you have to take every word I utter about her as a personal attack?"

"Because it is," she answered hotly.

"No, it's really not," Bruce said, an edge in his voice.

"To me it is," she said quietly.

He was silent. She knew she was pushing it. They were in public, she really needed to keep her thoughts in check.

"Hey there! Sorry I'm late, the traffic is insane here," Betty exclaimed breathlessly as she dropped into the seat beside Alice.

_The traffic's insane in New York? Imagine that. It's also cold in the snow and dark at night._

She placed her purse on the table and sat down.

Alice felt a lump rising in her throat. Her fight or flight response was stuck in flight mode. She wanted nothing more than to stand up and run from the restaurant. She couldn't though. She knew that. Not with Bruce on edge like he was. He needed her here. If for nothing else, to keep him from changing.

She couldn't remember wanting to cry this often ever in her life. She wasn't sure what it was. If it was the long training hours that had her constantly exhausted, or the effect her siphon had on her demeanor and energy levels, or if it was actually just something wrong with their relationship. It was probably a bit of all three.

_Or it's like Darcy said. You're pregnant. _

_ I'm not, though. _

_ You could be. You're two days late. _

_ I'm NOT. I'm on mega birth control. There's no way._

_ But you're a mutant and Bruce has gamma sperm. He doesn't use condoms. _

_ I had the shot. I had it on the right day and everything. _

_ And yet…you're two days late. _

Alice took a deep breath to compose herself. Arguing with her own subconscious wasn't doing anything to calm her down. Thinking about it wasn't helping either.

"Is something wrong?" asked Betty, her blue eyes flitting from Alice to Bruce.

"Nope, nothing at all," said Alice, a fake smile gracing her face.

Bruce shook his head, peering at Alice out of the corner of his eye. He had no idea. He was probably so confused right now.

_I'm taking the test when I get home, I am not telling him unless there's something to tell. And there won't be. Because I'm not. I'm not pregnant._

"Great! Listen, I was in that cab for a WHILE, I'm going to run to the restroom, order me a white wine when the waiter comes back, Bruce. You remember what I like." She rose, grabbed her purse and walked off in the direction of the bathroom.

"I'm sure you do," said Alice under her breath, unable to keep silent. She mentally cursed her big mouth.

"Alice."

She shook her head, "Just…drop it for now."

"You brought it up!"

Alice pressed her lips into a thin line and said nothing.

Bruce reached out to clasp her hand, she let it hang limply. She just didn't have the energy to reassure him right now. He withdrew his hand, leaning forward slightly. Probably trying to get her to look at him. She couldn't right now.

"Will you look at me, please?" he asked quietly.

She let her eyes drift up from the napkin at which she'd been staring intently.

"I'm sorry," he began.

She stared at his shoulder, "It's fine, Bruce. It's fine."

"No, it's bothering you. I understand why you're sensitive about this and I'm sorry."

_He doesn't. He's patronizing me right now. Placating the crazy pre-menstrual monster. Because that's what this is. PMS. I'm sure the cramps will start any time now. Anytime. _

She shrugged, "Thanks."

He sighed, reaching out to brush her hair out of her face. "Why won't you look at me?" he asked softly, his hand brushing her cheek.

"I can't right now," she said simply, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Why not?"

"I just can't."

"Please."

She looked up into his eyes and felt hers fill with tears. She blinked rapidly, but felt them threatening to spill down her cheeks anyway. Probably ruining the eye make-up she'd spent 15 minutes trying to get right.

"Alice, please don't cry."

_I can't. I'm going to tell him. I can't tell him here. I can't._

She rose suddenly, grabbing her purse and stepping out from behind the table.

"Where are you…" he began to ask.

"Restroom," she said shortly.

She stalked to the ladies' room, sliding into a stall and sitting down on the commode. She felt the tears sliding down her cheeks faster than she could stop them. She let out a shuddering sob, amazed at how good it felt to let some of it out. She fished in her purse for a tissue and settled on using toilet paper when she couldn't find any. Each sob that she let escape took some of the weight off her shoulders. Before long, she was crying freely into a wadded up bunch of toilet paper, wiping off most of her eye makeup with it.

There were quite a few other women in the restroom, but they all cleared out as soon as they heard her crying. Just as well, she didn't want company.

It took a few minutes, but finally she started to calm down, taking deep breaths and slowing her pounding heart.

"Alice?" a female voice called timidly.

_Shit, I forgot she was in here._

"What?" Alice asked sharply.

"I was just…checking to see if that was you. Are you okay?"

_No, I'm not fucking okay. I'm so far from okay…okay is nothing but a dream, a story parents tell their children. _

"I'm fine," Alice said thickly.

"You don't sound fine," Betty pressed.

"Well, I am."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Well, if you ever do, I'm an excellent listener. I know what you're going through, kind of, I mean, I used to date him too."

_I highly doubt you know anything about this._

"I know," Alice spat, unable to keep the loathing out of her voice. Betty didn't seem to pick up on it.

"I know you do…I'm just…filling the silence."

Alice sniffed loudly. She wiped at her eyes and nose again before throwing away the tissue. She stood, grabbing her purse and opening the stall door. The bathroom attendant was averting her eyes politely. Betty was leaning against the vanity.

Alice walked over to the vanity, checking her reflection. She groaned. Her eye makeup was a distant memory, and her lids were so red and swollen she didn't think she could reapply any of it.

"Want some ice? That should help with the swelling. I have an eyeliner pencil with me if you wanted to touch up."

Alice stared blankly at her, "I have my own."

"Do you want the ice? I'm sure the attendant would get some for you." Betty looked at the attendant, who nodded quickly and scurried out the door. _Probably grateful for a reason to leave._

Alice smoothed her hands down the front of her dress. She'd chosen a sapphire blue lace dress she'd found in a vintage thrift store. It was from the 1940s, and had a ripped hem. She'd shortened the skirt to just below her knees.

"I LOVE your dress," Betty gushed, "It looks…so…classic."

Alice blinked. _Is this woman for real?_

"Thank you," she said uncertainly.

"You're just so petite, I'm sure you can wear just about anything."

_Was that an insult? It sounded like a thinly veiled insult. Don't take the bait. _

Alice busied herself reapplying lipstick.

"Bruce says you have a really eclectic style. That's really great, perfect for him, really. He can tend to be so stodgy. You're good for him."

_He's discussing me with her? When? When did they talk about me? _

_I'm 'good for him'? That sounded fake. If you're going to be a bitch, at least be good at it._

"Thank you," Alice repeated.

Luckily, the attendant returned with a small bowl of ice water and a cloth.

Alice thanked the attendant and wrung out the cloth to press it to her eyes.

"This is a trick I used to use," Said Betty.

"Oh?" Alice asked disinterestedly.

"Yeah, I remember I used to cry a lot when I was with Bruce. It seems like he hasn't changed all that much."

Alice wasn't sure why that did it. Maybe it was a sore spot. She had so many these days she couldn't tell. Maybe it was just the tiny little straw that broke the camel's back.

She dropped the cloth on the counter, it landed with a splat.

"I'm sorry…" Betty stammered. "Was that too bold?" she raised her hands in front of her.

Alice looked in the mirror just in time to see her glowing eyes returning to their normal emerald green. She left the cloth where it was, backing away from Betty.

"Is THAT what happens? I wasn't sure how your mutation worked…" Betty moved closer. "How do you draw gamma energy from Bruce? How do you KEEP him from Hulking out? I've been wracking my brain…I know you two MUST have a physical relationship…I can tell you do by how he acts around you…he's so protective."

Alice's eyes stung harshly as more tears formed and dripped down her cheeks.

"Oh my god…" the bathroom attendant stared at Alice, a horrified expression on her face. She turned and ran from the room, leaving Alice and Betty alone in the restroom.

Betty's countenance mirrored the attendant's, so Alice stared at her own reflection to see what the fuss was all about.

Deep red streaks lined her face, as bloody tears dripped from her eyes. They stung horribly and clouded her vision.

Alice gasped and felt around the counter frantically for the cloth she'd dropped earlier. She pressed it firmly against her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm her crying.

"Is that normal? Do you normally…is THAT normal?" asked Betty.

"NO," Alice spat. "It's not fucking normal to cry blood. I figured someone as SMART as you would know that."

"I'm only trying to help. Maybe if you could just tell me what goes on with you... tell me how you do it, then maybe there's something I could do."

_Is she for REAL?_

"I don't KNOW how I do it," Alice seethed. "I just know that it happens, I can't explain it."

"Well, please just try. I have to know."

Suddenly it was clear.

Alice felt rage bubbling up. "Is this what you wanted? To study me? Does BRUCE know that's why you're here?"

"I thought he'd be glad for the help! We've accomplished so much in the past while working together. Just imagine what we could do! And I could even get published again. Imagine the kind of publicity I would get from writing about you two!"

Alice stared at her, "Are you fucking serious right now? There are PEOPLE who want me dead, or locked up in a cage for the rest of my life, not to mention: MY EYES ARE BLEEDING! And you come up here acting like you're helping us, but you're really just out to help yourself? Your FATHER is an ARMY GENERAL. Why the hell would we help you?"

She clutched the now blood-stained cloth and grabbed her small purse, breathing deeply and making her way out of the restroom back to the table to where Bruce was sitting.

She pressed the cloth to her eyes whenever she felt tears welling again.

Alice made her way back to the table where Bruce was sitting.

"Alice…I'm so sor—" he stopped talking and gaped at her. "What happened? Are you okay?" he pulled the cloth from her eyes. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

"I don't know…" she said, trying to keep from crying again.

"What happened in the bathroom?"

She shook her head.

"Tell me please," he begged.

She took a deep breath. She was scared to tell him, honestly. There was the risk that he wouldn't believe her.

"I—I scared a bathroom attendant," she began.

"With your…" he gestured to her face.

She nodded as more burning tears dripped down her face. She pressed the cloth to her eyes. "Betty was in there, too…"

He crossed to her side of the table, slipping his arm around her. He took his glasses off, setting them on the table. He took the cloth from her, dabbing at her eyes while trying to inspect them.

"Right, she went in before you…" he stopped talking abruptly. "What happened?"

He's worried about her. About her.

"Betty's fine, Bruce," she sighed, taking the cloth back and pressing the cloth to her eyes a bit harder than was probably necessary.

"That's not…I'm worried about you, Alice."

"Right," Alice said shortly.

I'm sure that's what it was.

"Bruce, she…" she paused, contemplating on whether or not she should tell him, "Bruce, she's not what you think she is."

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…she's not here out of the goodness of her heart. She wants something. She wants information."

"What do you…?"

"She's trying to figure out what I do. How I do it. Why I do it. She wants to use me to get published. She wants to tell everyone about me. About us. About what I do. She thinks I'm just some kind of sideshow freak," Alice sobbed, her eyes aching.

"That can't be true, Alice…I'm sure it's…"

"It is. Our lives are in danger and she wants to get famous. She doesn't have any useful information about Ryker."

"What?" Bruce frowned, shaking his head.

"Bruce…" Alice heard her breathy voice from behind them. She felt sick to her stomach.

"You're trying to get published?" he asked, his eyes dark.

"Bruce, please. Can you blame me? It's so hard to get published nowadays, and nobody is going to have ANYTHING like this."

"You're damn right about that…" he growled.

"What do you mean?"

"We'd have to give permission for you to use us. And without our names, you wouldn't get this published in a million years."

"Bruce, please. Who is it hurting?"

"ALICE! It's hurting Alice," he exploded. People were starting to stare. Alice grabbed both his hands, trying to force him to look at her. "I just…can't believe you. You haven't changed a bit. Still completely oblivious, still completely self-centered. There is more to the world than your little collegiate existence, Betty."

"My little COLLEGIATE existence is better than what YOU have. Living a borrowed life, with someone who is LIGHTYEARS beneath you," Betty hissed, glancing at Alice. "I'm sorry, but you have to know how intelligent he is, and how much better he could do. You're very nice, and you're very pretty, but he's…so much…"

Bruce stood abruptly, "Don't you EVER talk about her like that."

"You need someone who can keep up with you."

"Who's that? Who's going to keep up with me better than her?"

"I meant…INTELLECTUALLY…"

"Betty, I swore I'd never hit a woman. But if you don't stop talking about her…"

"Bruce, you're angry because you know it's true!"

Alice couldn't speak…this felt like a nightmare. She was so completely embarrassed, she didn't know if she could stand to look at either of them.

_Oh god…what if I'm pregnant? What if I trap him with me?_

It was all she could do to keep up with the siphon. The amount of gamma he was putting off was absolutely unreal. She didn't think she had seen him this mad in a while.

_Stop it, Alice. You don't know if you're pregnant. You're probably not. Concentrate on what's important here…_

"Betty, stop it," Alice said quietly.

They both turned to look at her.

"Stop it," Alice repeated. "Stop it or he's going to transform. The Hulk's going to come out here. In this crowded restaurant. Shut your fucking mouth and get these people out of here. NOW."

"Alice, really…" Betty began, her tone condescending.

"Look," Alice stood, wincing, "I know what you're saying, I do. And if you think for one second that I am living in a bubble of lies and thinking I deserve him, then you're wrong. I know he's too good for me. I know he's too intelligent, too smart, too EVERYTHING. I know, okay? But you have GOT to believe me when I say that I KNOW when the Hulk is going to come out. I know, okay? And if you don't shut up and get these people out of here, he's going to do some real damage. Bad stuff. Because if I can't get control of him…I don't want to think about it. Now, please. I'm in excrutiating pain, this is too much for me to handle. Please stop."

She couldn't believe she actually formed a coherent thought. Her head was pounding, pulsing.

"Look…Alice…" Betty's mouth twitched upwards, "I know about the Hulk. I do…"

She was cut off by a low rumbling growl coming from Bruce.

Alice dropped to the ground, no longer able to muster the energy to stand AND maintain the siphon.

She cried out in pain. "GET OUT," she yelled, "EVERYONE GET OUT!"

She heard the dull thundering sound of many feet trying to leave the restaurant as quickly as possible.

She turned to look at Betty, she slid her phone over to her. "Call Tony. Now."

Betty picked up the phone and tried to unlock it. "Pass code?!" she asked, frantic.

"Bruce's….Birthday," Alice ground out.

Betty quickly called Tony, and Alice crawled over to Bruce.

"Bruce…you have to calm down…"

"I HAVE TO?" he yelled, pushing away from her, hitting his head roughly against the booth.

"Stop it," she cried, reaching up to stroke his hair. He jerked away from her.

"Bruce…"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he exploded. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He curled up in the fetal position.

Alice blinked back more tears. She shouldn't take it personally. He couldn't control himself. He yelled at everyone who talked to him when he was trying to hold back a transformation.

She knew now that she couldn't stop him. She just had to keep him somewhat calm until Tony got here. Tony and hopefully Steve and Clint.

"I called Tony," said Betty. "He's on his way."

"Is everyone gone?"

"Yes."

"Did you check?"

"Everyone left while I was calling."

"Good," Alice sighed. "Get out, Betty."

"I should stay, I know how to handle the Hulk…"

_For crying out loud…_

"You don't. Get out."

"No really, he likes me."

Bruce let out a strangled cry.

"This isn't a contest. This isn't a game. This isn't research. Get the fuck out. You DON'T know what you're doing."

Betty frowned, ready to argue more, but Alice cried out in pain. Her head felt like it was in a vice grip. She let go of the siphon with a groan, weaving a barrier in front of both herself and Betty.

Bruce cried out as he transformed. Alice felt more tears dripping down her cheeks. She felt like she failed him.

Soon the Hulk stood before them in all his big green glory.

He roared loudly, shaking the panes in the windows.

"Hulk, are you with me? Do you hear me?" asked Alice.

The Other Guy looked around, finally looking at Alice. **"GIRL HURT?" **he asked, reaching out to her.

"What? Oh, my eyes? They do hurt, but I'll be okay."

"Hello…do you remember me?" asked Betty.

The Other Guy narrowed his eyes. "**YOU NO LIKE GIRL. GIRL IS FRIEND."**

"Girl is…you?" asked Betty, glancing at Alice.

"Yes."

"I do like Girl. I do."

**"HULK LIKE GIRL. BANNER LIKE GIRL. YOU NO LIKE GIRL."**

"That's just not true…"

Hulk roared loudly.

"Stop…" Alice turned towards Betty. She paused, she heard something. She shushed Betty and Hulk, listening.

"I thought you said everyone was gone," she spat accusingly at Betty.

Betty's eyes grew wide.

Alice followed the sound to a table nearby. She flipped up the tablecloth and underneath were two little girls with their mother.

"Try to keep calm," she whispered to them. "Everything is fine."

She dropped the table cloth, and walked back to where the Hulk was eyeing Betty cautiously.

"There are three more…friends underneath that table, Hulk," she said quietly. "They're scared, though."

"**SCARED OF HULK?"**

"Yes, I'm afraid they are."

"**HULK NO HURT FRIENDS." **

"I know, I know you would NEVER hurt friends, but…" Alice thought quickly. "Remember how you didn't like me until you got to know me?"

He nodded.

"They don't know you all that well and they're scared. I think they just want to go home. To sleep. Would it be okay if I got them out and took them outside? Would that be okay?"

He nodded.

"Can I put a green bubble on them? I think that would make them feel better."

He nodded again, sitting down with a thud.

"Tony's coming soon, Hulk. Betty, tell Hulk about how Tony's on his way."

Betty enthusiastically started talking to the Hulk.

Alice quickly crossed the floor. She flipped up the tablecloth, helping the mother and children out. She quickly wove a green bubble over them, attaching it to the top of the mother's head so it would move with them.

"Go," she whispered. "Try to stay calm. He's not too upset."

She quickly steered them around the room, the youngest child not taking her eyes off the Hulk. She noticed he was looking at her, so she waved. He returned the wave, eliciting a smile from her.

Alice couldn't help but smile herself.

She led them out to the doors, opening them and shooing them out. They were descended upon by reporters.

She ducked back inside.

"When I asked you if anyone was still here, I expected you to actually check."

"I had a lot on my mind…the transformation is always breathtaking…"

"It's horrible."

"What?" Betty looked confused. As if Alice were the one being weird.

"The transformation is horrible. It's painful for him and it takes him away from me."

"Not really, you have the Hulk."

Alice turned to look at the big green being currently peering down at her.

"I know. And I like the Hulk, I really do, but…"

"**GIRL LOVE BANNER**."

"Yes…Girl loves Banner…" Alice murmured.

"**BANNER LOVE GIRL**."

"Thank you, Hulk. That's really nice to hear."

He nodded gruffly.

"**TONY?"** he cocked his head to the side, listening.

Alice listened too, but couldn't hear anything. Suddenly Tony came crashing down through the ceiling. He landed beside them roughly.

"Really, Tony? You had to destroy the roof? Hulk only broke a table."

"Wha-?"

"He only broke a table. You broke the ceiling. Congrats, you're officially more destructive than the Hulk."

Tony flipped up his mask. "What happened? They over cook his steak?"

"He's a vegetarian," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"Dump his drink?"

"Nope."

"What then? What set him off?" Tony looked between them.

Alice sighed and shook her head.

"You don't know?"

Betty's face was pale. She probably wished she had taken Alice's advice and left earlier.

Alice didn't answer Tony.

"I need to expel some energy so I can drain him. I have too much already from trying to keep him from changing."

"Okay…can you weave a shield?"

"It will stay here until something hits it."

"So what do you want to do?"

She shrugged, "I was hoping you'd have an idea."

"Other than entertaining the crowds with a little gamma skeet shooting, no…Weave a shield and I'll destroy it, I guess. Good thing I powered up the suit this morning…"

Alice smirked and weaved a big shield over the table beside them. She waited while Tony shot it and destroyed it before weaving another.

"Seems kind of wasteful…" said Betty.

Alice ignored her.

Once she was comfortable again, she began to siphon from the Hulk. It took her about 5 minutes to comfortable take on the energy as he slowly transformed back into a sleeping Bruce.

They all rode back to Stark Tower in relative silence.

Tony got Bruce set up in his bed at home. While she was helping him, he asked, "I guess you're not going to tell me what set him off?"

She shook her head.

"Did you have a fight?"

She shook her head again.

"Was it Betty?"

She paused before answering, but that was enough.

"What happened, sweetheart?"

She quickly spilled the whole embarrassing ordeal. Leaving out the possibility of a Baby Banner, however.

Luckily, the bleeding tears hadn't returned since she'd let off some steam, so to speak.

Tony nodded curtly. "Right, so she's gone."

"Tony…I don't think Bruce…"

"Screw that. She caused this. This…is HER FAULT."

"It's not completely, if I hadn't…"

"We don't expect perfection, Alice. If we did, you'd have been fired a week into your employment here. She was trash talking you. She was INSULTING you. So much, that it made Bruce hulk out. She's gone. Don't worry about ever seeing her again. I can't do much to lighten your load, let me do this."

Tony didn't get real often. It usually had to do with Bruce when he did. It sort of felt nice to have someone in her corner for once. A big brother kind of thing.

Before he left, he stopped at the door for a moment. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to him. Don't forget that."

Alice felt tears well up in her eyes.

_I'm not, though. Can't anyone see that? Betty could. It's only a matter of time before he does too. _

She sat with him for a few moments before heading into the bathroom. She pulled the pregnancy test out of a paper bag she'd hidden in her makeup drawer. She stared at the box.

She should just get it over with.

She ripped open the packaging, making sure to read the instructions thoroughly before taking the test.

All the steps completed, she laid the test flat on the vanity to wait. She stared at her feet so she wouldn't look at the test until 10 minutes were up.

She was so enthralled with the pattern of the tiles that she didn't hear the bathroom door open.

"What are you doing?" Bruce asked, surprised to see her there.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Cliffie. I know. Don't care. :P**

**So, I'm trying out two posts a week...which of course means I've finished the third installment. AHEAD of schedule, thank you very much. Expect chapter 8 next Tuesday. I'm not for sure going to do two posts a week, just going to try it out. **

**How cute are Alice and the Hulk, though? He knows. Hulk KNOWS that Bruce loves her. He does. **

**And I AM so glad that Alice won't have to put up with Betty anymore. She might make another appearance later, but it's more likely she'll just send Daddy. :/ **

**You'll all be happy to hear that there will be decidedly MORE Logan in the next two chapters. As well as a few other X-Men. Two. Two other X-Men. Not telling you who, and they're pretty much just cameos or plot devices, but whatever. :)**

**Karen. I wanted to do more with her, but a lot of it got cut for lack of relevance. I might do more with her in 'Silver Linings'. She still gets a mention here to highlight Bruce's lack of memory when it comes to people's names. **

**I know I have so many story arcs in this one, but bear with me, they'll all tie together soon. **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe. I DO own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Jules, Thomas, Zeke and Preston. **

**Feel free to follow/favorite/review if you feel so inclined. Have a great weekend!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Carpe Diem' by Green Day. Warnings include violence and language. Italics is a flashback.**

* * *

**Alice**

Alice heard Logan grumble from the backseat, pressing his knees up against her back. She shifted uncomfortably.

"For the last time, remove your knees from my kidneys or I will turn this car around," she warned.

Bruce snickered quietly from the passenger seat.

"I don't see why I couldn't drive," Logan complained.

"This is Tony's car. He wasn't happy about you 'borrowing' it before, so I'm under strict orders NOT to let you near the steering wheel."

Logan had taken one of Tony's cars out for a joy ride soon after he'd arrived at Stark Tower. Surprisingly enough, Tony was NOT amused.

"I returned it in one piece. I'm a very responsible driver."

"Why couldn't Preston drive us?" Bruce asked, tugging the seat belt down so it wasn't resting on his neck. Beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead. He was apparently not handling the ride well. He reached up to turn on the air conditioning.

"He's sick this week. In lieu of borrowing Happy, I figured I could handle driving. Apparently, I was wrong." She shifted in her seat again, "LOGAN, I mean it, put your legs up in the seat with you or something. Or sit behind Bruce."

"I don't want him to sit behind me. I want to keep an eye on him," Bruce said, casting a sideways glance back at Logan.

"He keeps his seat too far back, there's more room behind you," Logan said, "Still not enough, but more."

Alice returned her concentration to the road, which was slick from the light rain that had been falling all day. It was getting warmer finally. The trees were starting to grow new leaves.

The drive was only supposed to take a few hours, but it felt like they'd been in this car forever.

"You know, I could have just WATCHED your training session and this would all be over," said Logan.

"No. You're not watching her train. You've seen enough already," Bruce said flatly.

Alice sighed, leaning down to turn on the radio. This argument had happened so many times over the past few days, she could probably quote what each would say next.

At the sound of the radio, both men shut up, thankfully. There were a few moments of complete silence, which was somehow worse than the arguing.

"How far away is the school?" Alice asked Logan, looking back at him from the rearview mirror.

"We're about halfway."

"Wonderful," Bruce said dryly. He leaned his head back. "Can we stop for a few minutes?"

"Are you feeling sick?" Alice asked him quietly.

"A little, I just need some fresh air or something."

"I told you that you shouldn't try to read while you're riding in a car."

"I know."

Logan snickered.

Alice frowned, spotting a rest area at the next exit. "I'll stop there. Logan can go mark a tree if he needs to."

When she had parked the car, Bruce opened the door and got out, leaning up against it. Alice got out and stretched.

"Can you make sure he doesn't commandeer the driver's seat?" she asked Bruce before she left.

"Sure, no problem," he said quietly, sitting on the curb beside the car.

Alice wasn't really sure Bruce was aware of what she asked him, so she peeked into the back seat. "Do you need to get out?" she asked Logan.

"Nope," he smiled widely. It was disconcerting.

Alice reached into the car and grabbed the keys. She stuffed them in her pocket.

She picked up her purse and went to use the restroom. It was actually halfway clean, which was a surprise. She ran a brush through her hair.

She walked back out to the car, opening the driver side door.

Logan was sitting in the driver's seat with the car running. He grinned broadly, "Shotgun?"

Bruce was lying in the back seat.

"Bruce…" Alice chastised.

"Sorry, I'm really not feeling well."

"Yes, and letting him drive is going to help you feel better."

"He let me have the backseat to lie down."

"You could have had that anyway; all you had to do was trade places with Logan!"

Bruce had already rolled over away from her.

Alice sighed, frustrated. She glared at Logan, "Out."

"Have a seat. Just because I shouldn't leave you here don't mean I won't."

Alice sighed. She walked around to the passenger side door and got in, buckling her seat belt and tightening it for good measure.

"I'm not a bad driver," said Logan defensively, pulling out of the parking place and merging onto the interstate.

Alice raised her eyebrows, "You crashed a motorcycle into the lobby of Stark Tower."

"Which was exactly what I was trying to do."

"Hmmm." She absently picked at her cuticles. "For the sake of my curiosity, how did you start the car?"

Logan held up his fist, letting one claw slide out.

_That's so weird…it looks like it would hurt…_

"Does that hurt?" Alice asked, reaching out to touch the blade.

"Every time," he said gruffly, sheathing the claw before she could touch it. "They're very sharp," he said pointedly.

Alice quickly pulled her hand back into her lap, embarrassed. "Noted."

Logan cleared his throat. "So…how did you meet…" he gestured to Bruce's sleeping form in the back seat.

"I met him when I started working for Tony. I was with someone else, but it was well on its way to being over. Bruce just kind of helped it along."

"The guy who got killed?"

"Yeah," Alice answered, her voice hollow.

"So, after Bruce realized he could sleep with you…"

"NO. It wasn't like that. We actually got together before we knew about my…abilities."

"Really? You got into a relationship that had no possibility for sex?"

"Not everything is about sex, Logan."

He scoffed, "Right, that's why you're not having it now."

"Right now? No, not right now. He's asleep," she grinned.

"Wouldn't stop me."

"Well, go on, he's right there," she smiled.

Logan grimaced and turned his attention promptly back to the road.

She pulled out her phone for something to do. Logan was a pretty decent driver, even if he drove a bit fast for her taste. That was saying something, because Alice's driving was a bit fast for most people's tastes. It was probably a good thing Bruce was asleep.

She looked out the window. The sky was grey and overcast, just a terrible and depressing day. It was still late morning, but it was hard to tell by the sky.

"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" she asked, desperate for something to fill the silence.

Logan grunted. Alice wasn't sure if that meant yes or no, but she decided to go ahead as if he'd agreed. She twisted the volume knob to turn on the radio…more of a sound system actually. She synced her Starkphone, and hit shuffle on her playlist. She adjusted the volume so it wasn't so loud that Bruce woke up.

She leaned up against the cool window and watched her breath fog the glass.

The soft patter of raindrops and the whirring of the car as they flew down the highway were hypnotic, and she allowed her mind to wander.

* * *

_ "What are you doing?" Bruce asked._

_"Oh!" she jumped up, feeling guilty for some reason. _

_ "I woke up, and you weren't there…I was worried…" his eyes dropped down to the pregnancy test on the counter. "What is that? IS that a…" he swallowed thickly, looking up at her. She almost couldn't meet his eyes. _

_ "A pregnancy test…" she confirmed. _

_ "Are you?" _

_ "I—I dunno…I still have…" she checked her watch, "2 minutes to wait."_

_ "Why didn't you…tell me?" he asked, his shoulders slumping as he sat down on the edge of the tub. _

_ "I wanted to be sure…before I worried you." _

_ "But…it's just as much mine as yours. I want to share the burden." _

_ "Oh. I see. It's a burden," Alice felt her face grow hot. _

_ "That's not what I said, Alice…what IS a burden, is the knowledge that you might be. You've been carrying that and worrying about it for how long?" _

_ "2 days." _

_ "2 days I could have been supporting you and helping you." _

_ "I'm sorry…" she said lamely. _

_ "No…I'm sorry," he said, lacing his fingers with hers. "I just don't think we're ready for a baby. We can't even get our own shit together. Throw a baby into this mix, it's going to be a mess…" _

_ She pulled her hand out of his roughly. "Glad to know your true thoughts. Glad to know what you said to me in the lab was bullshit." _

_ "It wasn't bullshit, I DO want kids. Just not right now." _

_ She checked her watch. Time's up. _

_She jumped up and checked the test. _

_Negative. _

_ "Well, good for you. It's negative. Congratulations, Doctor," she spat. _

_ "Alice…" _

_ She stormed off into the bedroom. "Just leave me alone." _

_ "ALICE…" _

_ "Bruce, please. I don't want to be around anyone right now." _

_ "Don't shut me out, Alice…talk to me, please?" _

_ "There's nothing to talk about." _

_ "Stop it. Just stop it. Were you even going to tell me if I hadn't found out on my own?" he asked, his voice breaking a little. _

_"No," she answered honestly. _

_"Don't you think I deserve to know?" _

_"I didn't want to worry you if it was nothing." _

_"Alice, next time, worry me. I want you to worry me." _

_"There won't BE a next time. We need to be more careful." _

_"We WERE careful. We did everything we were supposed to do." _

_"It wasn't enough, apparently," she said thickly, a lump rising in her throat made it difficult to swallow. _

_"Alice…please…look at me," he pleaded. _

_She hesitantly rolled over to face him. _

_"Please don't be mad at me. I want some time for US before we start a family. We've been together for less than a year and most of that time has been spent in some precarious situation or another. I want some time with you. I know it's selfish, but I want you to myself for a while." _

_She nodded in agreement. He was right._

* * *

She wasn't asleep. Or at least, she didn't think she had been. But, she suddenly felt like she was falling and jolted awake, sitting upright with a gasp.

Logan looked over at her in alarm, "What's wrong?"

She didn't have time to answer. When she looked at the road ahead she saw what looked like a man standing in the middle of the highway. She screeched, pointing in front of them.

Logan whipped his head back front. He slammed on the brakes. Bruce fell into the floorboards with a startled cry. The tires skidded on the wet road and Logan fought for control of the car.

They spun a few times, Alice lost count. She was trying to hang on and retain her bearings so she could see where the man in the road had gone.

When they stopped, she turned her head, looking frantically. Logan was doing the same. Bruce pulled himself up into the seat, holding his head.

"What the hell…"he exclaimed, looking in the direction Logan and Alice were.

But the man wasn't there anymore. There was nothing.

"Oh God, did you hit him?" She felt her stomach drop down to her knees.

"Hit who?" Bruce asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I don't know, I didn't feel the car hit anything!" Logan opened the door and looked under the car. "There's nothing!" he called over the rain. He looked around, the road was empty. He turned and looked up on the rock cliff running beside the road.

"Get out of the car!" he yelled, running towards the cliff, his claws sliding out. Alice fumbled with her seat belt and opened her door. Bruce pushed her out and crawled after her. They looked up just in time to see an absolutely enormous…something leap from the top of the cliff towards the car.

Bruce grabbed her hand and they circled back, running across the road to where Logan was standing.

It landed on the car with a loud crash. It turned and looked at them, its body heaving.

Alice felt sick just looking at it. She supposed it was a man. He was green, not unlike Bruce when he became the Hulk. But his face…it was deformed, or maimed, or something.

One eye protruded grotesquely, the veins clearly visible even from where she was standing. It looked like it might explode at any moment. And his back…his back had what could only be described as spikes protruding at least 8 inches out. He was seething, foam dripping from his mouth. His muscles were almost painfully defined. When he walked, he lumbered. It was sort of limp/hopping like a gorilla. The Hulk had some gorilla-like qualities, but was still somewhat human.

"What…who…what is that thing?" Alice asked, both she and Logan turned towards Bruce.

Bruce shook his head, "I have no idea. I only know of one other guy like me…and that's not him…"

"I kinda see a resemblance," Logan said, tilting his head to the side.

"What?" Bruce asked, turning towards Logan, but unwilling to take his eyes off the monstrosity in front of him.

"Well…HE'S doing that thing you do when you do that thing YOU do," Logan gestured wildly in front of them. "He just…isn't stopping."

Bruce nodded warily. Alice could feel more and more gamma radiating off him. He was scared. In all the time she'd been with him, she'd only seen him scared once. Truly scared, anyway, and that was before, with Samson.

She turned her attention back to the gargantuan being before them. He was indeed in constant transformation. Bruce told her how much the transformation hurt him. She couldn't imagine what this poor soul was going through.

The 'poor soul' roared loudly. He didn't make a move towards them yet but Alice didn't think he was foaming at the mouth for a tea party, so time was limited.

"We need the Other Guy," she whispered to Bruce. He turned, his eyes searched hers for a split second before nodding.

"What do you need me to do?" asked Logan.

"Protect Alice. Keep her safe above all else… and Alice?"

Her eyes met his.

He continued, "Try not to show off your powers. Don't do anything unless you have to."

"Bruce," she protested. "I can—"

"Let. The. Other. Guy. Handle. It," he ground out, teeth clenched.

She nodded curtly, "Okay. Love you."

"I love you, be careful." He stepped away from them. "Logan, take care of her," he repeated.

Logan stepped back.

Alice reversed her siphon on Bruce and watched as his form grew and swelled. The popping from his joints made her feel sick, as did the feral roar that escaped after the Other Guy took over. She fought back the sick feeling. She had to assume authority here.

He turned, looking first at her and then at Logan. He smirked.

"Hulk?" Alice's voice squeaked. He turned to look at her. "Could you…smash…him?" She pointed towards the newcomer, who was watching them intently and pacing back and forth behind Tony's ruined car.

Tony wasn't going to be happy about that.

The Hulk grinned broadly, letting out a growl that almost sounded gleeful. He turned towards the behemoth, which had stopped pacing and was staring him down. The Hulk roared, the sound vibrating Alice's eardrums. She backed up away from the two green giants. Logan grabbed her arm and dragged her back behind him.

The OTHER Other Guy answered with a roar that shook her bones.

Logan pushed her backwards, up against the rocky cliff behind them. She looked up at him. His face was stoic, no different from normal. At least, that's how it appeared to her.

Alice turned back to the fight happening before them. The two mutates were circling each other. 'Spike' (so named for the spikes on his back) lunged forward and the Hulk sidestepped, turning and grabbing him behind the neck. He picked him up and slung him in a circle before letting go and sending him sailing up the road. He landed with a loud thud that shook the ground.

Alice grabbed Logan's arm to keep from falling. If nothing else, the guy was pretty solid.

He jumped up immediately and began running back towards the Hulk. His lumbering gait didn't appear to hinder his speed in the least. The Hulk stood his ground, bearing the brunt of his momentum. He dug his feet into the asphalt, leaving deep ruts, as 'Spike' barreled into him.

The Hulk pushed him backwards, swinging his massive fist down towards his head. 'Spike' fell down to the ground chin first, scrambling to stand again before the other fist fell. The New Guy swung a punch into the Hulk's gut, but it didn't seem to bother him at all.

"Banner's definitely stronger than this joker," Logan called over his shoulder to Alice.

Alice felt the corners of her mouth pull up for an instant, proud of her big strong green man. "He is," she agreed.

"That New Guy is bigger though and that might work against him."

"Let's just hope Hulk doesn't get cocky."

New Guy lunged again and the Hulk sidestepped, but he was ready for him this time, grabbing his knee and pulling him down. 'Spike' pulled up again on his leg and swung him around in a circle, mirroring the Hulk's earlier attack. Except instead of sending him sailing up the road, however, he slung him over the side of the overpass and out of sight.

Alice choked.

Logan looked at her. "Did he just…"

She nodded, "Yeah…he's fine, it'll just take him a minute to get back up here." Her voice gave away her uncertainty.

The New Guy roared loudly. He turned to look at Logan and Alice. He grinned, if you could call it that. His face split grotesquely at his mouth and he had significantly more teeth than should be possible. Between the two of them, Hulk was definitely easier on the eyes.

Alice mentally felt around, seeking tendrils of the Hulk's energy to see if he was close by. He wasn't, but there was something else there…something familiar but unfamiliar…

Logan took a few steps forward, bending slightly.

"Logan…can you out run him?"

"I'm not leaving you here," he said pointedly.

"I think I can drain him."

"What? Like…like you drain Bruce?"

"Yeah…should I do it? Bruce said to remain low key."

Logan looked at her incredulously. "Fuck yeah, drain him. Drain that Hulk-tard!"

Alice hesitated, unsure if this was the smartest plan.

"Ask forgiveness, not permission. It's hard to do either if you're dead, so do it, Alice," his expression hadn't changed, but there was a hint of pleading in his voice.

The New Guy walked forward, not towards them but towards the crushed car.

Alice pulled at the thin wisps of energy floating there around him. He stopped and frowned suddenly, turning around and around and swatting at the green tendrils at they flowed out of him and into a shield she wove in front of herself and Logan.

He gave up on swatting at them and refocused his attention on the car. Alice suddenly realized what his plan was.

"He's going to throw the car!" she cried.

"You run right, I'll distract him and run left," Logan said quickly, sheathing his claws.

"NO, stay here, I'll weave the shield thicker," she concentrated on pulling more energy from him and weaving the strands above and around them.

'Spike' picked up the ball of twisted metal and heaved it up in the air. It flew towards them, stopping just short of Logan's hair. He backed up, running his hands through it. She pushed up on the shield, hefting the car up and back at the smug giant. It landed with a crash.

"Now, run," Alice commanded, as they turned and ran quickly in the opposite direction, she pulled at more energy, weaving a shield directly over Logan's head, attaching it to his hair so it went with him. If she could just keep up with him, they'd be fine.

"Stop!" she commanded as what was left of the car landed directly in front of them, broken glass and scraps of metal scattering on the ground around them. 'Spike' landed with a thundering boom nearby.

They turned again, running back from where they'd come. She tried desperately to pull bigger amounts of gamma to drain him, but she couldn't do it if she was constantly running.

She leapt over a section of hilled concrete after Logan, her feet pounding on the pavement, she heard the New Guy roar again and turned back to look. Her foot caught in a crack and she fell forward into the pile of glass where the car had landed. She grunted and scrambled to her feet. If she was in pain, she was oblivious. She'd feel it later, that much was certain. She was definitely regretting her choice in attire. Lace tights and a skirt were not the best choices for rolling around in broken glass.

Logan grabbed her hand and dragged her along behind him.

She immediately turned to see the New Guy barreling towards her like an angry gorilla. A huge angry gorilla. King Kong.

She had to make a decision and she had to make it fast. Continue like they were until the Hulk got back, whenever that would be, or stop and try to drain him.

She chose the latter. Her hands and legs were stinging and she was starting to get winded. She couldn't shoot any gamma bolts here without the possibility of causing rocks to fall precariously around them.

She yanked her hand out of Logan's grasp and stopped running. She pulled at the now tiny threads of energy from the gamma mutate. She concentrated all of the energy forward to create a barrier rather than a bubble. She was grateful for all the training she'd been receiving. The barrier was thick and green. Logan's running slowed, his eyes grew wide.

Flux didn't slow, probably unaware of what that green blob actually was. He rammed into it at full speed, causing an explosion of green gamma energy that blew all three of them backwards. Alice scrambled to mend the barrier, expanding it to cover her.

Logan backed away, just watching, ready to jump in if needed.

'Spike' let loose a barrage of fists, punching the barrier, and chipping away at her defenses. Alice couldn't keep up with the damage, she wasn't used to his energy pool. It was different than Bruce's, harder for her to access and utilize. It was still gamma, but it was almost like it wasn't as refined as Bruce's was. It was taking twice as long for her to form a shield.

_What is wrong? It's almost like he's blocking me…_

She felt herself starting to panic.

"LOGAN!" she yelled, her voice and energy waning. "I can't keep this up!"

Logan bent at the knees, before lunging up at the staggering green giant. He latched onto his back and started gouging at him with his claws. The behemoth roared in pain, swatting at Logan frantically.

"Go for the weak spots…" Alice ground out. The places on his body where he still looked almost human seemed to be the weakest.

Logan began swiping his claws at the New Guy's left side. He growled in response, attempting to grab the mutant and throw him to the side. Logan sunk his claws in to hang on.

It wasn't much, but it was distracting him enough for Alice to mend her shield. It was slow going, though. Where her siphon on Bruce could almost be too much at times, her siphon on Flux was the equivalent of trying to suck a too-thick milkshake through a coffee stirrer. She was utterly exhausted.

There was still a big hole she was trying to mend, when a loud roar distracted all three from their tasks. They turned to look over by the guard rail and saw a large green arm appear over the edge. The Hulk pulled himself up onto the road with them, roaring loudly and running towards them.

"Oh thank goodness," Alice sighed in relief as a huge surge of gamma energy from the Hulk flowed through her. It almost knocked her down. Hulk staggered as well, swaying a bit before regaining his footing.

She reasoned that she must have been trying so hard to siphon from the New Guy that when the Hulk's energy pool became available, she had siphoned a large amount at once. She adjusted the drain accordingly and tried to concentrate on mending her shield.

She felt her head begin to ache as her skin grew hot.

A sharp pain in her head made her cry out in pain and a thick green beam shot out from her shield. It hit the Hulk square in the chest.

_Oh, no…_

He arched his back, roaring loudly.

Alice froze, legitimately scared that she had hurt him.

She watched as his muscle size and definition increased, his eyes were glowing even brighter green. He actually grew taller, by about a foot. The New Guy had stopped pummeling her and was now staring at the Hulk.

When he stopped growing, the Hulk looked down for a moment before he turned to Alice and grinned. He turned to bellow in the other giant's face.

Alice stumbled backwards, suddenly exhausted. She felt her knees giving out, but Logan caught her, his arms under hers. He dragged her backwards away from the fray and set her down none too gently on the asphalt. He squatted down beside her.

"What did you do?"

Alice shook her head in disbelief, "I honestly don't know."

"That's never happened before?"

"Definitely not."

They watched as the now Super Hulk pummeled the New Guy repeatedly. It wasn't even a fair fight now. He pushed him backwards until the weaker mutate had no choice but to retreat. The Hulk started to follow him, but Alice called out.

"No, stay here, let him go."

The Hulk frowned but gave up on his chase.

"Why?" asked Logan, "We can't let that thing destroy the countryside."

"Someone brought him here, someone will get him," said Alice.

Logan reluctantly nodded in agreement. "He's military. He was wearing army fatigues," he plucked a piece of fabric off one of his claws. "Tibbets…" he showed her the scrap of cloth that was actually a name tag.

She shook her head, "I don't recognize that name…"

"Me either."

The Other Guy stomped over to them after he couldn't see or hear 'Spike' anymore. He grumbled angrily in Logan's direction.

Logan let his blades slide out menacingly.

"Stop it, he won't hurt us."

"How do you know?"

"I just do," said Alice.

The Hulk roared loudly at the both of them, ruffling their hair.

Logan blinked and grimaced, "Toothpaste, my friend. TOOTHPASTE."

Alice ignored him, speaking to the Other Guy, "NO. It's over. It's time to go to sleep!"

The Hulk grumbled and sat down hard, causing the ground to shake.

"Are you hurt from your fall?" Alice asked.

He shook his head.

"Good. I was worried."

"**GIRL HELP HULK**," he said, probably referring to the real life power-up she'd given him.

"Yes, I suppose I did," she said levelly.

He nodded gruffly. Alice supposed that was as close to a 'Thanks' as she could hope for.

Logan chuckled. "Girl?"

Alice sighed, shaking her head. "That's what the Other Guy calls me."

"So you've trained with him before."

"A few times."

"How's your knee?" Logan leaned forward to inspect her left knee.

Alice frowned, looking down as well. "Oh god…" she gasped when she saw her knee. She had a rather large piece of gravel embedded in the skin. She didn't even know where to start in order to get it out.

The Hulk growled menacingly when Logan reached out to touch her battered knee. He raised his hands in the air, the claws retracting. He sat back, still eyeing the Wolverine distrustfully.

"He did NOT like that…" Logan said.

"My leg hurts, he was just checking it," she told the Other Guy, patting his arm reassuringly.

**"GIRL HURT?"**

"Yes, but I'll be fine."

He nodded again, dipping his head down near hers. She leaned over onto his very large arm while she drained him of energy.

"Feeling tired?" she asked him.

"**HULK VERY TIRED**."

"Want to lie down?" she gestured beside her. He lay back with a thud.

Logan flinched slightly. Alice would have chuckled if she hadn't been so exhausted.

"I'm draining him, so he'll be asleep soon."

He shrugged, crossing his arms impatiently.

"What do you do with the energy?" he asked suddenly.

"I store it. I will need to expel it soon, or I might get a little grumpy," she laughed weakly. Her eyelids were heavy.

"Do you take on his personality when you drain him?"

"Sometimes. If I keep too much of it for too long."

He was silent for a moment, Alice let her eyes close.

"Does it hurt?" Logan asked quietly.

"Every time," she recycled his response.

The Hulk's breathing had slowed. Alice sat up and turned towards him. She reached out and gingerly ran her fingers through his hair, which felt like Bruce's, but more rough. He made a grumbling sound, tilting his head away from her.

She smiled.

"Do you love him?" Logan gestured towards the slumbering giant.

"The Hulk? No, not really. He's different…it's hard to explain."

Logan raised his eyebrows.

"He's a part of Bruce, though. And I love Bruce, so I guess I do, in a way…kind of like you'd love a cantankerous old dog, just because it belongs to the person you love. Anyway, can't have one without the other."

Logan didn't respond, instead he walked a short distance up the road, probably trying to see a mile marker. He walked back in the opposite direction.

She sighed, leaning back on the Hulk again. "What now?" she asked as he passed her.

"Hmm?" Logan looked at her questioningly.

"What are we going to do now? The car's totaled."

"He's about to change back, I figured we could walk."

"He's going to be asleep for a while AND he'll be naked, save that ridiculous pair of purple shorts. I don't know what happened to his clothes when he transformed."

"Does he not have a change of clothes in the car?"

"No. We don't normally carry extra clothes. I don't know why we don't, actually…but it doesn't matter, because I can't walk," she gestured to her knee.

"Pull the gravel out."

She glared at him. "Not everyone has a healing factor, Logan."

"Okay, I'll carry you then, or Bruce can."

She sighed, glancing down to her left. She was slightly surprised to see Bruce lying beside her. That had happened quickly.

She brushed his hair out of his face, tracing a line along his features.

She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"How long is he going to be out?"

"A couple of hours."

"And there's no way to wake him up?"

She shook her head.

Logan sighed exasperatedly. "Do you have a phone?"

Alice reached into her pocket to retrieve it, only to discover that it had been smashed. Probably when she'd fallen. She held it up, an apologetic look on her face. "How far are we from the school?"

"About 10 miles or so. Nobody uses this road unless they're going to or coming from the school." Logan sat down heavily beside her.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. It started raining harder, really pouring.

Then, it started thundering.

"Great, we really need to find some shelter," said Alice, looking around.

"Don't worry, someone's here," said Logan, looking up into the sky.

It wasn't thunder, it was what looked like a stealth jet landing on the road in front of them. It floated down and landed smoothly on the pavement.

She looked over at Logan. He didn't look worried, so she relaxed a little.

The hatch opened and dropped and a positively terrifying creature walked down the steps to join them on the road. It was wearing a pair of pants and a shirt, but it had blue fur…and the face of a wild cat or something. It looked like a blue lion-man.

Alice felt her shield pop up around herself and Bruce.

"Calm down, he's not dangerous," said Logan.

"Well, I can be dangerous, but not to friends," said Blue Lion-Man, smiling. He extended his…paw towards Alice. "I'm Dr. Hank McCoy, can I help you stand?"

Alice took his proffered hand/paw and stood. His fur was surprisingly soft. She limped towards the jet, wincing every time she had to bend her knee.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Dr. McCoy gestured down to her affected leg.

"I fell in some glass and gravel…I think there's some stuck in my knee…"

"I can take a look at that once we get in the air."

"No, that's okay…" Alice began.

"Hank, we need to move that wreckage out of the road," a soft voice gently reminded.

"Right, Storm, I'll take care of it," Alice watched the furry blue man disappear down the steps again. She turned to look at the source of the voice. A beautiful white haired woman sat in the pilot's chair. She was looking at Alice curiously.

"Alice Vorso," Alice touched her collarbone absently.

The woman smiled tersely. "Storm. Oruro Munroe. Just call me Storm."

Alice felt the corners of her mouth twitch, but her attention was diverted yet again when Logan came up the stairs and unceremoniously dumped Bruce's limp form into the seat beside her.

"How long does it take Dr. Banner to wake up after a transformation?" asked Storm.

"A couple of hours…" Alice repeated for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"You couldn't have stopped the rain?" Logan asked, staring pointedly at the woman in the pilot's seat.

_Surely he's joking…_Alice thought. But then Storm's eyes clouded over, turning almost white as the clouds outside parted and the rain stopped.

_So THAT'S why she's called Storm. _

"I was busy making sure the school was safe. I'm sorry you got your feet wet," she replied to Logan, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

Logan grumbled as he strapped Bruce upright into the seat. He took the seat directly behind Alice and proceeded to strap himself in. Alice took that as her cue to follow suit.

There was a loud crash outside and soon, Dr. McCoy sprinted up the stairs. For such a large person, he certainly was light on his feet.

_Like a lion…_

"Everyone ready?" asked Hank as he seated himself in the co-pilot's chair.

No one replied, so Alice quickly mumbled "Yes," so he wouldn't feel awkward.

"Where's the professor?" Logan asked abruptly.

"He's back at the mansion. We're supposed to fly you back down to the city," said Hank.

"What, we're not welcome at the mansion?"

"Not when you bring uninvited guests," snapped Storm.

Alice felt her cheeks redden.

Logan motioned towards Alice and Bruce, a confused look on his face.

"No, no, Miss Vorso and Dr. Banner were expected. It was the other one that wasn't. I'm sure you understand…it is a school. With children," said Storm, turning back to smile at Alice.

"Oh, of course," said Alice, nodding.

Logan still looked put out, but he reluctantly agreed.

"Charles and I will join you at Stark Tower for a visit tomorrow," Dr. McCoy continued, "And Logan, he wants to speak with you."

"Of course he does."

"We should be off…" said Storm impatiently.

"What about Tony's car?" protested Alice.

"I took care of it," Hank assured her.

The jet rose and hovered for a few seconds before turned abruptly and zooming off. Alice's eyes grew wide as she saw what was left of Tony's car in a neat pile on the side of the road.

She looked over at Logan, about to ask how it had been moved.

"They call him 'Beast'," he said, as if that explained it.

"What?"

"You're aware of how the X-gene works, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"In you it does…" he gestured wildly with his hand. "In me…" He slid his claws out and swiped his arm, the flesh knitting and healing almost instantaneously. "In Hank…he's a beast. Super strong, dexterous, furry and blue."

"Wow, that's useful."

Logan nodded gruffly before looking away, effectively ending the conversation.

Alice laid her head back on the head rest, looking over at Bruce. His head was bowed, so she reached over and nudged it until it fell over to the side.

She turned her attention back to the front window of the jet. She'd honestly never really flown before today. She and Zeke had always driven when they went to visit family, which hadn't happened often. She snuck another peek at Bruce. Another first that she had experienced by his side. Kind of cool.

Now that she could finally relax for a moment, she allowed herself to think over the events of the past few days. She'd been through a whirlwind of emotion.

She'd been almost disappointed that she wasn't pregnant, but at the same time relieved. Now, she was mostly relieved. How could she even think of having a baby when she and Bruce were targeted so much? What kind of life would that be for a child? What kind of danger would their child potentially be in?

Alice knew there was much that she and Bruce needed to talk about, but now their future was the major question mark for her. They hadn't discussed it seriously. They were in more trouble than she'd previously suspected and that scared her a lot. Trouble from outside sources as well as trouble from within. She desperately wanted this to work, so she knew something was going to have to change.

She stared down at her hands and waited for the short trip to be over. She was rather relieved that they wouldn't be stuck in a strange place for the next few days. Home would be better. Well, it wasn't home, but it was close enough.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I'm sorry. I'm terrible. To make you wait days just to not have good baby news. But, do you see why they couldn't right now? Not to say they couldn't in the future. :) They really need to work through their own crap before any Baby Banners happen. **

**Anywho, in case you didn't catch it, that was Flux they were fighting. Which means Ryker knows what they were planning. Scary. **

**Also, Logan's back again. Yay! I love writing for him. **

**As always, I don't own any part of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined! Leave me some prompt ideas if you want!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Breath' by Breaking Benjamin. Warnings: Language, Angst, and some mild PTSD stuff with Alice. **

* * *

**Bruce**

Bruce inhaled sharply, opening his eyes and looking around the room. He blinked repeatedly. He must have hit his head or something. It looked like he was in the lab in Stark Tower. He heard a small cry from beside him. He turned to see Alice staring at him wide-eyed from the chair beside the bed.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" he sat up, stretching.

"A little bit," she said quietly.

"Are we…back in New York?"

She nodded, marking her spot in the book she was reading. "Hank and Storm brought us back."

He shook his head to clear it, "I'm sorry, who?"

"Hank McCoy and…"

"DOCTOR Hank McCoy?"

"Yes…" she said, raising her eyebrows.

Bruce was thrilled. He hoped Dr. McCoy was still here. He wanted to pick his brain about possible causes of Alice's recent malaise.

"Is he still here?" asked Bruce, looking out the window of the med bay to the rest of the lab.

"No, they had to leave to go get the professor. I assume they'll be back in the morning, though."

He nodded absently, still scanning the lab. He spotted Logan talking to Tony near his work bench and tensed. "What is HE doing in here?" he asked.

"Chill out, Banner. He was a big help this afternoon with that whole…situation."

"Well…that doesn't mean he has to be in the lab…" Bruce grumbled.

Alice sighed, before smiling and slipping her hand into his, "Want me to make him leave?"

"No…I'd like to speak with him about the 'situation' as you call it." Bruce slid his thumb across her hand. Instead of her smooth skin, he felt coarse gauze and medical tape. He picked up her hand, turning it over in his. It was heavily bandaged. Upon further inspection, both of her hands were bandaged.

"What happened?" he asked, reaching for her other hand.

"Just fell down in some broken glass…that 'New Guy' threw Tony's car a few times, there was lots of broken glass."

Bruce frowned, "Is that all that happened?" He hated it when she got hurt. Especially if it could have been prevented. "Where was the Other Guy when this happened?"

"You're asking a lot of questions. First, no. I got some gravel embedded in my knee. The doctor downstairs took care of the glass and gravel, though. I'm as good as new," she grinned, rubbing one bandaged hand over her left knee. "Second, the Other Guy had been thrown over the guard rail off the bypass."

Bruce blinked. "How?"

"Banner, I'm really not impressed with you at all," Logan quipped from the doorway.

Bruce frowned, annoyed that he'd snuck up on him. He liked to know where Logan was at all times. Safer that way.

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, Hulk talks a big game. **SMASH** this and **SMASH** that, and when we actually WANT him to smash, he gets thrown over a guard rail. Bam. Splat. I suppose we should have been more specific. **YOU SMASH**, don't **GET SMASHED**."

Bruce pursed his lips indignantly.

"It's not like the Other Guy has ever fought anything like this before, Logan," Alice interjected gently.

"What exactly happened?" Bruce asked, loosening his apparently tight hold on Alice's hand. She flexed it a few times before taking his hand again.

Alice and Logan sporadically filled him in on what had happened, he stopped them at the parts he didn't fully understand.

"Wait…so Alice, you siphoned from the New Guy?"

She nodded.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that…"

"Did you really think you were the only one, Bruce?" Logan smirked.

_I'd like to slap that smirk off your face, mongrel. _

"I'm sorry, Bruce, but I had to. It was life or death and-"

He stopped her there, "Alice, please don't apologize for saving your own life. I promised to protect you and I wasn't there. Please, please, PLEASE don't apologize. I should be the one apologizing to you…" he trailed off.

_Apologies. I owe her so much more than apologies._

She shook her head, pressing her lips together in a flat line, her nostrils flaring like she was trying to hold back tears. "I'm fine, Bruce. I just hope I didn't expose too much of my…"

"It doesn't matter. You're safe right now, we'll figure everything else out later. You are the most important thing to me. YOU," he leaned forward to press his lips to hers firmly. He couldn't believe he hadn't done it sooner. AND when they were interrupted by Logan's perturbed harrumph, he couldn't believe they weren't having this moment alone.

"What have I told you guys about making out in the lab?" Tony quipped from the computer desk, where he was now sitting. "Do it where the cameras can see. There aren't cameras here in the med bay ANYMORE because of the previous incident…yes, I'm looking at YOU, Alice."

"Sorry, not sorry," said Alice, raising her eyebrows.

Logan tilted his head slightly, "I'd like to hear more about that…"

"NO," Bruce quickly interceded, not wanting to share that particular incident with any more people. "Tony, how long have you been here?"

"I came in with him," he motioned towards Logan.

"You couldn't have said something to make your presence known? You had to sit over there like a creep in the corner?"

"I knew he was here, I figured you did too," said Alice, coming to Tony's defense.

"How would I have known that? He's sitting directly behind me."

"How about when you're talking about sensitive subjects, just do a quick room scan? I mean, that's pretty basic covert stuff, Brewsky," said Tony, looking at the other two occupants of the room for confirmation.

"Whatever, I'm going home, this is a lot to process…" Bruce said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"Fine, I guess we won't talk about how Alice supercharged the Hulk…" said Logan.

"Actually, I'D like to hear more about that…" Darcy's nasally voice quipped from the corner.

Bruce whipped his head around in her direction, "YOU'RE here too? Is EVERYONE in this room?"

"No, actually…I'm out here…" Jane called from her desk.

"Right. Sorry. Should we talk louder? So you can hear too?" Bruce asked sarcastically.

"No need. Your voices carry well," she laughed.

"I mean, maybe we should get the rest of the Avengers in here. Make it a team meeting."

"Good idea…Darcy? Can you take notes and type up some bullet points? Send it to everyone so we're all on the same page?"

"What am I? Secretary to the Avengers?"

"Yes. New title for Darcy, Secretary to the Avengers, all those in favor say AYE!" said Tony, looking around.

No one spoke.

"All those in favor stare at me like I'm a blithering idiot…Great, motion passes."

"I am NOT…" Darcy started to protest.

"Comes with a pay raise."

She raised her eyebrows, "Right, first bullet point?" She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

Bruce was becoming more and more impatient by the minute. "Can we PLEASE get back on topic?"

Darcy raised her eyebrows, before writing furiously, "Bruce is GASP, impatient."

Bruce shot a look of pure annoyance in Darcy's direction.

"Right, so I supercharged the Hulk," said Alice slowly.

"I know, but HOW?" Bruce asked, resisting the urge to grab her shoulders and shake the answer out.

"I don't know…" she answered. "But, I have a theory, if you'll all hear me out…" she hesitated, looking around before continuing. "I was trying REALLY hard to siphon from the New Guy, but it was difficult. It felt like he was blocking me."

"Blocking you? How, though? I can't block you."

"Have you tried?" Alice asked.

"No, I've never had a reason to…"

Alice nodded knowingly.

"Point taken," Bruce said, sitting back.

"Anyway, I was trying to siphon from him as he was destroying my shield, and The Other Guy jumped up over the guard rail. It was like when you're vacuuming and you accidently suck up the cord, you can't really stop unless you turn off the vacuum. So, I siphoned a large amount from the Other Guy, which I was simultaneously using to repair the shield. Since I had an overabundance of energy, some of the excess shot out and into the Hulk, which worked like a power up, like when he gets madder and makes more gamma energy. Except…he didn't have to get madder. I just gave it to him."

"That's incredible!" Bruce exhaled. He'd been holding his breath during her explanation. "Do you realize what this means? We don't have to risk a feral Hulk again. If you can give him the energy he needs to become more powerful, we can keep the complacent attitude."

His mind was buzzing with ideas and everyone was talking at once.

"Can I ask the obvious question here?" Darcy piped up suddenly. "What WAS that other thing?"

Alice shook her head. Bruce shrugged, "I have no idea. I haven't caught wind of any gamma experiments lately. Like I told Alice and Logan before, there's only one other guy like me, Emil Blonsky. That was NOT him."

"Are you sure? Maybe he's had more experiments done on him," said Tony.

"No. Blonsky's in prison. High security, gamma mutate proof prison."

_It's where I'd be if I wasn't so lucky…_Bruce glanced over at Tony, silently thanking who or whatever was listening that he had at least one friend.

"Tibbets," said Alice suddenly. "His name tag said Tibbets."

"Tibbets…" Tony frowned as if trying to place the name. "What kind of name tag?"

Alice shrugged, closing her eyes briefly.

"Army. He was wearing fatigues," said Logan.

"Army. Tibbets. That's something to go on."

"If he was army, it has something to do with Ross or Ryker. I'm willing to bet money that it's Ryker," said Bruce.

"Still, let me see what SHIELD knows about Tibbets," said Tony.

"Are you going to hack them again, Stark?" asked Darcy.

"Again? That implies I stopped hacking them before," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows comically.

Bruce felt Alice's hand slip from his, and all other sound was blocked out except for her body sliding from the chair towards the floor.

He jumped up quickly and caught her just before her head hit the hard tile floor.

Everyone stepped back as he placed her on the bed.

"Did she faint?" asked Logan skeptically. Bruce's mind was filled with similar questions. Alice wasn't the type to faint, but here she was, her skin sickly pale with a green tinge to it, her eyelids fluttering ever so softly.

"Everyone out of the room," Bruce demanded. He grabbed a manila folder from the desk and started to fan Alice with it.

"Alice?"

_Her chest is moving, so she's breathing…her forehead feels damp…maybe she's just overwhelmed._

"Alice?" he fanned a bit faster, and she started to move, groaning softly.

"Alice, love, are you okay?" he asked, very relieved when she opened her eyes and looked around.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"You fainted, scared me…"

"Sorry…" she murmured, leaving her head on the pillow. "I just started feeling really hot…and nauseated…and then the room started spinning…"

"I think you need to rest. I'll take you home as soon as you want to go."

"Now. Now's good," she laughed weakly.

"Can you walk or…you know what? I'll carry you," he stood and slipped his arms under her, hoisting her up. He carried her out of the room, into the elevator and down the hall to their apartment. She didn't protest, she only laid her head on his shoulder.

_She must be really tired…she usually argues with me._

She sat up when he placed her on the bed, rising on shaky legs to draw a bath.

Bruce followed her into the bathroom, worried that if she fainted again, she might hit her head on the bath fixtures. He sat on the edge of the tub while she laid back in the water.

"Do you want to join me?" she asked quietly.

"Do you want me to join you?"

"Not what I asked," she grinned.

"Suffice it to say, you don't ever have to ask that. If it involves you, wet and naked, I will always want to join you."

"Then please, join me," she said, giggling. The color had returned to her face and while her eyes still looked tired and bloodshot, she looked a million times better than she had a half hour before.

Bruce quickly undressed and joined her in the tub. She squealed when he sunk into the water and some overflowed onto the floor.

"You're making a mess…" she chided.

"It's hot soapy water…want me to run the mop over the floor?"

"Mmm…cleaning while naked, that's certainly a turn on."

"If that's what you want…" he started to stand, but she pulled him back down with her.

"The water will still be there in 20 minutes…" she grinned against his lips.

* * *

**Alice**

Alice dug a small well in the pile of flour in the bowl and poured buttermilk into it. She absently wondered what possessed her to offer to make pancakes for everyone.

_At least Thor isn't here,_ she thought, remembering the incident at IHOP a few months before.

Bruce and Hank had already left for the lab.

She chuckled inwardly, _he has a new friend._

Steve had kindly fried up a LOT of bacon and sausage to go with the pancakes, it was all sitting on paper towel lined baking sheets warming in the oven.

The first round had gone fairly well. Hank ate a lot, it seemed.

Bruce always ate the hell out of pancakes whenever she made them.

She wasn't exactly the best at vegetarian cooking, especially if something was 'purposefully vegetarian' and contained tofu or something. She just couldn't wrap her mind around tofu. She secretly suspected it wasn't food at all.

Her Grams had taught her all the finer points of southern cuisine. Her Pops had actually been a chef when he was younger before he bought the piano bar, so she learned a lot from him as well. But tofu? Tofu was her nemesis. She just couldn't make anything that tasted good with it. And that KILLED her.

Tony had eaten around 8 pancakes himself. Alice had a sneaking suspicion that Pepper didn't cook.

He was still sitting at the table, talking with Xavier about something or other.

Xavier hadn't eaten anything yet. He accepted a cup of tea, but that was it.

Logan was sitting on the counter top beside the stove watching her cook. He was chugging a cup of coffee because she refused to tell him where the beer was until after 4 pm. It was just sad to drink before 4.

Kitty, who had arrived with Xavier and Hank, was sitting at the counter quietly. She had refused pancakes as well and was nursing a cup of yogurt. Alice wasn't sure what to think of her yet. She'd been quiet, mostly people watching. But, she couldn't begrudge her that, not when there were so many interesting people to observe in Avengers Tower.

Darcy was also seated at the counter, between Steve and Kitty. Natasha was on the end. Clint hadn't emerged from his apartment yet.

_Darcy, Steve, Natasha…who else hasn't eaten yet?_

"Logan, are you eating?" asked Alice.

He sneered, "Pancakes…they'd be better with bacon."

"There's bacon…" Alice gestured to the oven. "I can even put the bacon in the batter, if you want…"

His eyebrows shot up, "You can do that?"

She grinned, "Yeah, used to do it all the time for my Grandpa."

"Bacon Pancakes?" asked Steve.

"You want them too? Anyone else?" asked Alice, looking around the kitchen.

"Me!" said Darcy. "Throw some chocolate chips in mine, too."

"Just chocolate chips in mine…if you're taking requests," said Natasha.

"Chocolate chips for you guys?" Alice asked Logan and Steve.

Logan grimaced and shook his head.

"Just bacon for me, please," said Steve.

"Okay…suddenly I feel like a line cook…" said Alice under her breath.

Kitty snorted. Alice was startled. She had almost forgotten about her.

She ignored the sound, since the girl didn't offer any explanation to go with it.

She finished making everyone's pancakes and realized there wasn't any batter left for her. She decided to grab some yogurt and granola on her way to the gym.

"Bacon IN the batter? I didn't know that was an option," Tony whined from the sink. He dropped his plate and fork in, they clattered loudly. "I was eating my pancakes and bacon separate like an imbecile."

"I can make some for you, if you'd like…" said Alice, laughing.

"I can't eat any more, though…" he paused thoughtfully, "I COULD purge, ya know, boot n' rally."

Everyone groaned in disgust.

"What? I'm not really going to do it! It's just an option," said Tony defensively.

"No, Tony. It's really NOT an option," said Steve, "this isn't ancient Rome."

"I guess you'd know ALL about that, Grandpa." quipped Tony.

Steve narrowed his eyes.

"Next time, I'll make you bacon pancakes, Tony," Alice said quickly. She didn't want Tony and Steve ruining the peaceful morning with their verbal sparring.

"I want them for my birthday. It's in two weeks. I'll update your agenda. Bacon Pancakes. On my birthday."

"Okay, does that mean I don't have to go to your stupid party?" she quipped.

"But if you don't come, who's going to jump out of the cake?" he asked, grinning.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

Steve frowned, "Hey now…"

"I'm telling Bruce," Alice warned.

"Hey…don't do that, I was just kidding."

"Really? Because I was going to tell him that I was jumping out of your birthday cake. That's what I was going to tell him."

"Oh, really?" Tony's eyes lit up.

"NOPE, texting him. Texting him right now…" she got out her phone and typed out a quick message to Bruce.

"That was ENTRAPMENT. I have witnesses," Tony pointed to everyone seated in the kitchen.

Natasha shrugged, "I didn't see anything…"

Steve chuckled.

"Oh come on, Cap. Like you didn't want to see her jump out of a cake."

"I have far too much respect for her as a woman and as PERSON to want to see her jump out of a cake."

Everyone turned to stare at Tony.

"Oh, so everyone's judging me now? Right, right…LOGAN…don't you even LOOK at me like that, you're imagining it right now. Every frosting covered, tasseled, pink fringed second."

Logan made an indistinguishable noise, and looked down at the stack of plates on his lap.

Steve folded his arms and shook his head in Tony's direction.

Tony scoffed, "You guys aren't fun anymore…"he paused, "You didn't REALLY tell Bruce, did you?" he asked Alice.

"I did indeed," she said smugly.

"Dammit…now I have to suit up before I go down there…" he stalked off towards the elevator.

Alice shook her head as she scanned the living room and dining area for abandoned dishes. Earth's greatest defenders they might be, but they certainly couldn't be bothered to put their dishes in the sink.

"Alice, thank you for the tea, my dear." Professor Xavier said quietly from the other side of the counter.

"You're welcome, are you sure I can't get you anything to eat?"

"No, I'm fine. I ate something earlier."

She smiled, "I'll see you later, I hope!"

"Of course."

Xavier headed for the elevator.

Alice's phone rang in her pocket. Bruce. She answered.

"Did you text me?" he asked.

"Yes, did you read it?"

"No. I just called you…" he said pragmatically.

_Why even bother…_she thought, amused.

"Why is Tony suited up? I asked him and he just pointed at me and said 'You know', in a really cryptic tone."

"Read the message I sent you…"

There was a pause before he came back on the line, "Oh, I'll kill him…" he said dryly.

"Bruce…" Alice laughed, "Don't kill him. Maybe put an end to the sexist remarks, though."

"Killing him would be easier…"

"Play nice and have a good day," she said.

"I'll try and I will. Are you going to come down and visit me later?"

"If you want me to."

"Of course I want you to, I'm just not sure where I'll be, ask JARVIS before you come down. Love you!"

"Love you too." She ended the call, smiling to herself.

Logan snapped his fingers in the air, "Garcon?"

Alice raised her eyebrows in amusement, "I'm not a boy."

"Oh. Is that what that means?" Logan smiled smugly.

"Yes, it means…" she looked over at him, rolling her eyes, "You know what it means."

"C'est la vie," he smirked.

She chuckled good-naturedly, turning her attention to Steve, "So…Captain Steve Rogers, feminist?"

"Yes ma'am. And proud to be one."

"Well, thank you for defending my honor," she grinned.

"I'm sure you could have handled it yourself. Tony's thoughtless, but harmless."

"Still…thanks."

He nodded, "Thank YOU for breakfast Alice." He looked at the cup of yogurt in her hand, frowning, "Are you not going to make any for yourself?"

"I'm going to have some granola too."

"Oh, well, by all means…don't stuff yourself or anything," Steve teased.

Alice smirked, eating her yogurt quickly so she could get to the dishes. But when she made for the sink, Steve snapped a towel at her.

"Out."

"I need to do the dishes…"

"You cooked breakfast for everyone and didn't even get any yourself. Get out. I'LL do the dishes."

"I can help you with—"

"No you can't, out. Go visit with Bruce for a while and I'll meet you in the gym around 11."

"Fine," she acquiesced, turning to go back to her apartment.

She changed clothes for the gym and boarded the elevator.

"Where to, Ms. Vorso?" JARVIS asked.

"Um…I'm sorry, I don't know…Where's Bruce?"

"Dr. Banner is in the basement training facility."

"Oh…"

"Do you want me to take you there?"

"I guess so…"

"Affirmative?"

"Yes, take me there."

"Right away."

Some elevator music started playing. It sounded like Rick Astley.

_Yup_. _'Never Gonna Give You Up'. So Tony is Rick-rolling everyone today. Super. _

She hummed along. The song wasn't that bad.

_Haha, joke's on you, Tony._

The elevator shook slightly. She felt her pulse quicken. The speakers screeched. She covered her ears.

"JARVIS?!" she asked, worried.

The speakers started back up again. A different song.

_…Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you…_

Her blood ran cold.

"Did you miss me?" asked JARVIS.

"What?" she asked, her breathing erratic. She felt that familiar prickly feeling on her skin, like static.

"Did you miss me?"

_WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?_

She began breathing erratically, her head aching.

"JARVIS?" she forced herself to speak.

"Yes, Ms. Vorso?"

She shook her head, Rick Astley was back. She blinked rapidly and shook her head again, pressing the heel of her hand to her temple.

"Nothing…" she stammered.

The elevator stopped.

"Basement level. Have a nice day, Ms. Vorso."

She stumbled out as soon as the doors opened, turning and looking bewilderedly at the closing doors.

_Did that just happen? Thomas? That was probably all in my head. Just in my head. I need to get more sleep…that was fucking creepy, though. _

She debated with herself for the entire walk down to the training room.

_I should tell Bruce. No. No, I shouldn't. But, I should. No, I shouldn't. He'll just think I'm nuts. _

She paused outside the training room, looking in one of the windows that spanned the entire length of the wall.

Bruce and Hank were hunched over a table with lots of blueprints spread out. Bruce was sporting his hot professor look. The one that made her want to strip off all her clothes and slide between him and whatever he was doing.

_There's a thought. I really do need sleep. Or sex. Probably sleep. _

She sniffed, her nose was running. She didn't have any tissues. She'd ask Bruce for a handkerchief or something when she got his attention.

She sniffed again, and wiped her arm across her face like she did when she was a little girl. Unsanitary? Probably, but she didn't want to be snotting everywhere when she went inside.

She crossed the floor, looking up to watch Tony as he was flying pieces of something up to the rafters and affixing them. It looked like a cross between a disco ball and a projector.

She walked up behind Bruce and Hank. She waited patiently for him to turn around.

"Be with you in just a second, love."

She smiled, she liked being his love.

He conversed with Hank for another moment or so before taking off his glasses and turning around.

He frowned, reaching out towards her face. "What happened?"

"Huh?"

"Your nose is bleeding," he swiped her upper lip and showed her.

"Shit, sorry…do you have a handkerchief or something?" she asked, tilting her head back.

"What happened?" he pulled a hanky out of his pocket and handed it to her, he led her over to a chair and helped her sit.

"I dunno, just really dry or something…"

"You look pale, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did you eat anything?"

"Yes," she said exasperatedly.

"What?"

"Yogurt," she said, realizing she'd forgotten all about the granola.

"You should eat more than that, Alice."

"I know…I'm never hungry in the mornings, you know that."

"Well still…you need to take care of yourself. For my sake at least," he smiled warmly. He smoothed her hair back from her face.

"Sorry…"

"Want me to make something for you? Do you want an omelet? A sandwich? I can go get something from the kitchens if you want…"

"I'm really fine, Bruce, I'll grab a snack before I go to the gym."

"Stay home today, go lay down. You're working yourself too hard."

"I'm really not, I'm fine."

"People who are fine don't get random nosebleeds."

"I love you, but you're hovering."

"Sorry…I'm just worried. You fainted last night, your nose is bleeding today, you look exhausted, Alice."

"That's sweet of you to worry, but save it for when I actually need it," she joked, leaning sideways into his body.

He knelt down beside her and kissed her forehead.

"So what's going on with all of this?" she asked, gesturing around the room.

"Well, Xavier brought this training apparatus…it's unlike anything I've ever seen before!" he explained excitedly, standing. "Dr. McCoy is helping me understand a lot of it still, but from what I've gleaned from him, and from the blueprints, Xavier can input images and scenarios from his head and they will project into the room. They will be lifelike in every way except they cannot hurt the trainee. They even feel solid to the touch! It's amazing!"

She loved to see him so excited about something. His work had been causing him nothing but stress lately, and while she wasn't sure what kind of work he was doing now, she knew she wanted him happy and stress free.

"So what does this mean for the training sessions?" she asked.

"They'll be more intense, and you'll actually be able to shoot real things without worrying about hurting someone."

She raised her eyebrows, impressed.

"Awesome sauce, Banner."

"Glad you think so, Vorso."

She grinned, still pressing the hanky to her nose.

"Let me take a look at that…" Bruce gingerly took the hanky from her. "You know…" he said absently while inspecting her nose, "I don't think I've seen your nose bleed in a while…not since…" he trailed off. Probably realizing that there was no way to finish the sentence without dredging up the whole Thomas fiasco.

She was more determined than ever NOT to tell him about what had happened in the elevator.

"Well, it's just been dry and stuffy lately," she supplied, changing the subject.

"Looks like the bleeding stopped," he said, pocketing the handkerchief again.

"Cool," she said, standing up and walking around the perimeter of the room to get a better look at what Tony was doing.

Bruce followed her, explaining what each piece did.

Tony finished attaching the last piece and flew down to where Bruce and Alice were standing.

"Finished, Doc."

"It looks great!" Bruce gushed, walking around underneath the huge silver sphere.

"It looks like a disco ball…" said Alice.

Tony flipped up his visor. "So, Alice…I got a notification that something was funky with JARVIS in the elevator…anything weird happen?"

Alice snorted, "Yeah actually…2003 called, and it wants its joke back."

Tony frowned, confused.

"Rick-rolling the elevator? C'mon, Tony, you can do better than that!"

He laughed nervously, "Noticed that, did you?"

"Yeah, and the joke's on you. I actually LIKE that song."

He laughed again, nervously, "No, actually, I meant, anything weird with JARVIS? Was there a malfunction?"

"Oh, the elevator kind of jumped a little…might want to get it serviced or whatever."

"Nothing else happened?"

"Naw," she said nonchalantly.

"You'd tell me if something went weird, right?"

"Sure. If something went weird. You'd be the first person I tell."

"Okay…" he didn't sound like he believed her, but he didn't press the issue.

Bruce walked back towards them, "I actually can't wait for the next training session!"

Alice smiled weakly, suddenly tired. "Bruce, I think I'm going to take your advice and go back to the apartment," she turned to Tony, "When's the next training session?"

"Uh…we should have this up and running by tomorrow afternoon, I'd say."

"Awesome, I'll see you guys later."

She turned to leave, anxious to get out before Tony said something to Bruce. Bruce would poke and prod her until she confessed what had happened in the elevator. And she didn't want to be pitied anymore.

"Alice!" Bruce called, jogging up beside her, "Let me walk you to the elevator at least."

She smiled and slipped her hand into his while they walked. He squeezed her hand gently.

"So, what time should I expect you home, or should I expect you at all?" she asked good-naturedly.

"I'll be home at the usual time, if not earlier," he answered.

"Oh, okay, want me to cook?"

"If you feel up to it. I can cook for you, if you want to just rest."

"I don't mind…unless you don't like it when I cook?" She thought about the many times she'd failed at making a passable meal for him.

"What were you planning?"

"Spaghetti?" she asked. She could make a really good mushroom marinara.

"That sounds wonderful, but if you don't feel up to it, I can make it if you leave the ingredients out."

She chuckled, "You really don't trust me to make dinner, do you?"

He turned sharply towards her, "No, it's not that…"

"You don't like it when I cook, then?"

"Well…it's just usually a toss-up…"

"Right, you make it then," she said, her tone harsh.

"Alice…"

She remained silent, choosing to just drop it rather than get in a fight over it.

"I might just go get something with Darcy, you can take care of yourself, right?"

"Alice, I didn't mean to make you upset…"

"I'm not upset."

"You are, though…"

"Nah, I'm not. You're entitled to your opinion, however misinformed it is."

"Misinformed? How can an opinion be misinformed?"

"I'm not getting into this now, I'm tired and I'm going home."

"I'll just go up with you and you can explain how misinformed my opinion is."

She shrugged, "Fine. You've only tried the vegetarian stuff I've made. I wasn't trained to cook vegetarian, I was trained to cook FOOD."

"Alice…"

She turned, tears in her eyes, "YOU are the only person to EVER have a problem with the food I prepare. I learned from my Grams, who was one of the best cooks ever and from my Pops, who was a 5-star CHEF before he quit to open the piano bar. So don't stand there with your condescending 'Alice..' and your pitying looks. It's YOU who has the problem."

He huffed, "ME? It's ME who has the problem? How about picking up a cook book and actually LEARNING how to prepare food in a way I can consume it? You KNOW why I adopted a vegetarian lifestyle. Would it kill you to support me in SOMETHING?"

She laughed without humor, "Oh, support you in something? Right, because I do NOTHING to help you out at ALL." She jammed her thumb down repeatedly on the fingerprint scanner. The elevator doors opened. "Don't bother coming up, I don't wish to continue this conversation."

The doors closed on his sputtering reply.

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, her body shaking like it always did when they had an argument.

There was no music playing now. Just as well. She wasn't in the mood for Rick Astley.

She sat in the silence for a few minutes, before the speakers crackled again and the theme from the Breakfast Club came on.

She frowned, looking around. The speakers kept warbling the music. It sounded eerie.

_"Don't you…forget about me…" _

She had that weird static-y feeling again. It just made her want to hop off the elevator on the next floor.

"Don't forget about me, Alice Vorso," said JARVIS.

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up, JARVIS." She ground out.

She felt her nose start dripping again. She dropped down to a crouch, covering her ears with her hands and waiting for the elevator to stop.

It finally did, and she shot through the doors like a bat out of hell.

She ran to her apartment, locking the door and unplugging all the electronics that she could find. Bruce could just deal with it.

She quickly hopped in the shower and stood under the water until the tears and the shaking stopped. She had never felt more alone and scared in her life.

She hurriedly put on pajamas and slid under the covers, shaking and crying in the dark. She'd be lucky if Bruce came back tonight after the way she'd spoken to him.

Somehow, she fell asleep, but her sleep was restless and plagued with dreams.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Wow. Angst. Sorry to leave it there, but I had to. This was becoming such a long chapter. **

**I am SO SORRY that I'm late with this. I just promised you 2 chapters a week and broke my promise. :( I had to rewrite this chapter completely and halfway through, I got blocked. But, I'm over it now and actually have another week's worth of chapters ready to post on time! Yay me! **

**It looks like this story is going to have 19 chapters. So, we're almost halfway through. This is giving me so many problems. I don't like the angst, but it's a necessary evil. **

**For that reason, there probably won't be too many updates to Silver Linings in the next few weeks. If I do any one shots or drabbles, they'll take place before Alice moved to New York, or they'll feature other characters, not Bruce and Alice. If you have anything along those lines that you'd like to read, let me know, and I'll certainly work hard to make it happen. :) **

**There will be an Angela/Thomas update in the next chapter. Some answers will be coming soon. I promise...**

**As always, I don't own any part of the Marvel Universe, I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Please Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined! :) Next update will be Thursday. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Harvest' by Opeth. Warnings include: Language and more mild PTSD from Alice. **

* * *

**Alice**

Alice woke up the next morning alone. She sat up and looked around. The bedding was completely messed up, but that didn't mean anything. She had been having a bad afternoon/night.

She ran her hand over the other side of the bed. Cold. She felt a lump rising in her throat.

He hadn't come home. Or if he did, he didn't sleep in the bed with her. It brought back memories of when Zeke used to couch camp rather than share a bed with her.

Maybe Zeke had been right. Maybe she DID expect too much. Maybe she couldn't make any relationship work at all.

She looked around the room, still dark. The clock said 4:30. If Bruce was here, he was asleep on the couch.

She stretched and got up. She'd go to the gym or something. She didn't want to run the risk of waking him. She didn't think she could handle another argument, but she KNEW she couldn't handle the cold shoulder.

She quietly got dressed and combed her hair. It was a rat's nest since she went to sleep with it wet and didn't comb or braid it. She finally got it up into a messy bun and brushed her teeth.

She crept out into the living room, checking the couch. Empty. She frowned.

She crossed the floor to the kitchen counter. The light she'd left on out here was still on. She grabbed her new phone from where it was charging. 4 missed calls and 6 text messages. All from Bruce. That was a lot, considering his disdain for that type of communication.

The first 2 messages were slightly rude, considering that he'd sent them right after she left him sputtering in the basement.

The next 3 had graduated from rude to worried. The last one was letting her know he was pulling an all-nighter and to come by anytime she felt like it.

She decided to take him up on the offer. She'd cooled down since she'd slept for 20 hours or so.

The elevator ride was thankfully uneventful, even though she was on edge the whole time.

She walked down to the training room, peering in the windows.

Bruce, Hank and Tony were all attempting to wire the control board.

When she entered, the door slammed behind her, causing all three to look up at her.

"Alice…" Bruce dropped what he was doing and closed the distance between them quickly.

"So, we're taking a break now?" asked Tony.

"Yeah…" said Bruce absently. He slid his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her.

Alice turned away, "Bruce, we need to talk…"

He looked hurt, but he nodded, "Okay…"

"Do you want to go somewhere else?"

"…Yeah, we can go get breakfast, if you want."

She nodded. She wasn't hungry, but they needed to talk this out. Really talk it out. She needed to tell him everything. Get it all out in the open.

"I'm leaving for a while," he called back to Tony, who gave him a thumbs up.

He ran his hand through his hair nervously and followed Alice to the elevator.

"Where to, Dr. Banner?" asked JARVIS.

"Lobby, JARVIS."

"Right away."

"The lobby?" asked Alice, confused. She thought they were going to go eat breakfast back in the apartment.

"Thought we could go out for breakfast…there's a 24 hour diner a few blocks down."

"I'm not really dressed for going out…" said Alice, looking down at her yoga pants, flip flops and long sleeved tee.

"You're beautiful," he said quietly.

She blushed, like she always did when he complimented her.

_Dammit Banner. Stop doing this to me. I'm going to end up in an insane asylum. _

"All this hot and cold is killing me, Bruce," she said suddenly.

_Good. Good. You told him that, at least._

He looked surprised. "I—I'm sorry…I…" he started to explain and trailed off, looking down. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

The elevator doors opened, they walked out into the dark lobby. Bruce reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing. She squeezed back. She really didn't know what else to do. She was so confused.

They walked the few blocks to the diner in silence. It was chilly outside, she wished she'd brought a hoodie or something.

She absently wondered if he ate here often. Obviously not recently, but before they had gotten together.

"Have you eaten here before?"

"When I first moved in, yeah, I did. I couldn't sleep, but I liked being around people. It made me feel better. Like no one was noticing me. Like I could disappear into the background like I did in Calcutta."

He held the door open for her. She wrapped her arms around her waist, thankful that it was warm inside.

"Are you cold? Want my sweatshirt?"

She hadn't noticed before, but he was wearing his Culver University sweatshirt. The one with holes in it. The ratty one. She half smiled and nodded. "If you don't mind…"

"Not at all. I'm sorry I didn't think to go up and grab something for you…"

"This is fine. Smells like you…" she smiled as she pulled it over her head. It was huge, but she liked it because she could pull the hood up and disappear. She didn't pull the hood up now, though. She didn't want to disappear. She wanted him to see her.

They seated themselves at a booth. The waitress arrived almost immediately. Alice ordered orange juice and waffles. Bruce ordered the same without looking at the menu.

"I'm sorry, Alice…" he whispered, reaching for her hand.

"Bruce…"

"Let me finish…"

She nodded, pressing her lips together.

"I know I haven't been the best boyfriend to you. I've been distant and I don't play the role very well…it just seems like everything I do that a boyfriend would do occurs in the bedroom and I'm sorry about that…"

"Bruce, I'm not complaining about that…"

She wasn't, he was everything she needed in that regard.

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, "I didn't say you were…it's the rest of it where I'm lacking…the talking, the listening, the cuddling…"

He was right, he didn't do a whole lot of that stuff. But it wasn't like she was expecting him to, was she? She had to actually stop and think for a moment. What DID she expect from him?

She expected support. Support he wasn't providing. At least, not in the way she needed. He never denied her physical affection, that was certain. It's just that cuddling and things like that weren't something he actually needed since they'd moved on to a physical relationship. She understood that now, but it turned out that she actually needed those things. Separate from sex.

Now was her chance to tell him.

"Bruce, I'm really fine. You're great. I love you."

_ You fucking coward. Vorso…what the hell is wrong with you?_

"Really? I just thought…before you…" he began, frowning. He looked confused.

"I had just woken up alone. I was just annoyed that you didn't come home."

_Annoyed that you just let me walk away from you, annoyed that you could just go back to work after our fight when I can't even FUNCTION afterwards. All I can do is sleep for almost an entire day._

"I sent you texts, I called."

"I know that now."

"I should have come up to check on you when you didn't respond…"

"It's fine, Bruce. You were busy."

"I'm never too busy for you, though. You know that, right?"

She smiled, but didn't answer. She didn't want to hurt him with the truth.

He got up and crossed to the other side of the booth, sliding in beside her. "Alice, YOU are the most important thing in my life right now. YOU are what I am living for, working for, what I would die for."

She felt tears sliding down her cheeks, not because of his declaration, but because of how utterly lost she felt. She was bottoming out and she didn't know who to ask for help.

He leaned in and she allowed him to kiss her. Tears slid down her cheeks uninhibited.

He pulled back and wiped them from her cheeks. "Don't cry, Alice."

She took a deep breath and tried to smile. He kissed her again.

The waitress brought their food, sliding it down in front of them, and leaving them without a word. Alice was thankful for that.

Bruce ate. He was ravenous, apparently. Alice picked at her waffles and sipped at her orange juice. She watched him.

_I love him, I know I do. He's everything. I have to figure this out, this has to work. I need to make this work, I can't live without him. _

He looked up at her, his mouth full of waffles.

"Do you not like yours?" he gestured towards her waffles.

"They're fine, they just got cold while I was thinking," she said, poking at them again.

"Do you want something else?"

She shrugged, "I don't know…I thought I was hungry, but I sort of lost my appetite…"

"You should eat. We'll have everything up and running for you tonight."

She nodded, trying to smile.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, dropping her fork. "I'm just…tired is all."

"Didn't you sleep?"

"Yeah, off and on since I left you yesterday."

"Alice…that's like…16 hours!"

She nodded, "I guess I was tired."

He frowned and was silent for a moment, "Alice, after this current fiasco is resolved, what would you say to a trip?"

She raised her eyebrows, "A trip? Where?"

He shrugged, "Anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?"

He nodded, "Within reason…keep it on planet earth."

"So no trips to Asgard, then?"

Bruce grinned, "Nope, sorry. I don't think Tony's jets can fly there yet."

"Well, that sounds perfect, Bruce. I'll think it over…I'm not sure where I want to go. Just somewhere with you."

He smiled, "And I'll be perfectly happy as long as you're by my side." He kissed her forehead. "Could you try to eat something, though?"

She nodded, picking up her waffle and tearing off a piece of it. She was suddenly starving.

She ate both her waffles that way and chugged her orange juice. She made a face.

"What?" Bruce asked, nudging her shoulder.

"You know the saying, 'Beer before liquor, never sicker'?" she asked.

"'Liquor before beer, in the clear.' Yeah, I'm familiar with it, but what does that-?"

"I'd like to add, 'toothpaste before orange juice, DEATH.'" she said, making another disgusted face.

Bruce laughed, "It doesn't rhyme."

"I'm DEAD!" she said, laughing. "The fact that I'm monologue-ing at ALL is a triumph."

He leaned forward and kissed her, "I love you."

"Even if I'm silly and can't rhyme?"

"Especially because of that. I mean, your problem stems from the fact that you follow basic human hygiene rules…something I've forsaken today…I apologize for that…" he covered his mouth.

She moved his hand and kissed him again, "I don't mind. It's not even that bad. Plus, you pulled an all-nighter. An all-nighter assembling and testing new alien technology…that's kinda hot," she slid her arms around his waist and nuzzled his neck.

"I'm also kind of scratchy…" he ran his hand over his face, which was covered in stubble.

"I like scratchy…I like rubbing my face on your face when it's scratchy…" she proceeded to nuzzle his cheek.

He laughed softly and kissed her again. "I'm glad you like scratchy. I think the only time I'm not scratchy is those first 10 minutes after I shave."

"I like you then, too," she kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you."

"I love you, desperately."

Alice smiled faintly. "Desperately," she repeated.

_Desperately…he's always desperate when it comes to me..._she quickly banished the thought. She couldn't afford to ruin the one good morning they'd had in what felt like forever.

Bruce paid the bill and they left the diner.

"Why don't we do things like this more often?" asked Alice, slipping her hand into Bruce's.

"I don't know. I'm sorry I don't take you out…ever."

"Well, it does get kinda boring staying inside all the time…" she admitted.

"Why don't I spoil you? The difference in both our respective ages and levels of attractiveness necessitates it."

"I'm not…"

"You are. I'm lucky to be with you."

She smiled, "I'm lucky to be with YOU."

He stopped walking, slipping his arms around her. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

It was moments like this that made everything worth it. Every tear shed, every angry word, everything. There were moments where she could feel him loving her. She knew they'd be okay, if they could just work past all the crap. She had never felt this with Zeke. Only with Bruce.

He ended the kiss, running his fingertips down her cheek. She shivered.

He slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers.

She couldn't hold back the grin that spread across her face. She could live in this moment forever. It was perfection.

"Do you have to go back?" she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I don't guess so, I probably should sleep."

"Come back home and sleep, then. I'll lay down with you."

"Haven't you had enough sleep yet?"

"I'll just lay down with you…I don't get to cuddle you except when you're asleep."

He smiled, squeezing her hand. "I'm sorry I'm not cuddlier."

"I told you the PDA would end when we had sex…" she teased.

"It hasn't! We're still just as gross as we ever were!"

"No, we're not. We never just cuddle anymore…"

"I didn't know you wanted to."

She looked at him incredulously, "I always want to cuddle. Unless I say otherwise, just assume I want to cuddle."

_There. I said it. I didn't even cry._

"Noted…I need to let Tony know what I'm doing."

"Okay…"she snickered.

"What?"

"Gotta let the wife know you're spending time with the girlfriend…" she teased.

"Tony is not my wife."

She snorted.

Bruce pulled out his phone to text Tony.

"Alright, let's get home, I'm fading fast…" he tugged on her hand and they walked the short distance back to Avengers Tower.

Once back in their apartment, Bruce undressed and slid under the covers, Alice slid in beside him, he laid his head on her stomach and fell asleep while Alice stroked his hair.

* * *

**Later that day**

"Okay, so it's ready, then?" she asked Bruce as he got out of the shower.

"Yes, and I think Logan and Kitty are going in with you."

"What about Steve? Or Natasha?"

Bruce dried off quickly and walked out into the bedroom to get dressed. Alice followed.

"Logan and Kitty will go in for the first few times, until you get used to it. After that, we'll gradually add everyone else."

"Where will you be?"

"In the control room with the Professor, Hank and Tony."

"And it's close enough for the siphon to work?"

"Yes."

She exhaled loudly, "Okay. Okay."

Bruce pulled on his pants and a t-shirt. Alice handed him a button-up. He put it on and hastily buttoned it.

"Why'd you let me sleep for so long?" he asked.

"You looked like you needed it."

"I guess I did," he smiled. "I'm not mad, just in a hurry now."

"Sorry…"

He leaned over to kiss her quickly before stooping to pull on his shoes. Alice grabbed hers as well.

"Ready?" he asked impatiently.

"As I'll ever be…" she said uncertainly.

"You'll do fine, Alice. You're amazing."

They entered the elevator at the same time as Steve and Clint, who were coming down to watch. Alice didn't know where Natasha was, but she figured she'd be there too.

Kitty and Logan were already waiting, wearing what looked like leather jumpsuits. Tony was standing with them.

Bruce pulled Alice close for a moment and kissed her again. "See you soon, you'll do great, love."

"Thanks, Bruce, Love you."

"Love you," he said, turning to walk with Tony over to the control room area. Dr. Xavier and Hank were already there.

"Good luck, Alice, you'll do great," said Steve encouragingly. Clint bobbed his head once in agreement, and they walked out of the room to stand outside.

Alice looked at Logan. "So, how does this thing work?"

"When everyone is in place, the professor will send something in, an assassin, or something like that. Just one at first, and after you dispatch the first one, they'll increase in difficulty. He probably won't do anything too intense, since it's your first time."

"What are you two going to do?"

"We'll just making sure you're not in over your head. It messes with your head after a while. Sometimes the room changes, it looks like somewhere else," said Kitty.

"Oh, okay," Alice nodded, feeling nervous.

"You were holding your own against that Tibbets guy. I think you'll be fine," Logan reassured her.

She smiled tightly and walked over to the center of the room. The other two walked to the back of the room and waited there.

"Alice, are you ready?" Xavier's calm voice asked.

She looked over towards the control room, Bruce was standing close to the window, Xavier was further back. Tony and Hank were seated behind the controls.

She nodded, "Yes, I'm ready."

"Very good, I'll start the simulation."

She waited a moment, looking around, her senses suddenly hyper aware. The room stayed the same.

_Probably easy mode or something._

She sensed movement behind her and turned abruptly to see a figure dressed all in black slinking around. She activated her barrier, just lightly, enough to stop a projectile, but not a body.

She felt her arms heating up. She assumed her battle stance and extended her left arm, crying out as a gamma bolt shot out of her arm and collided with the figure, knocking it to the ground, where it promptly disappeared.

"Excellent, that was just a warm up, the next one will be more difficult," Xavier's voice said.

She retracted her shield, shivering a bit and looking around the room. She felt movement behind her, but when she turned, she saw nothing.

She stopped moving, closing her eyes so she could concentrate on the sounds she was hearing. She heard movement behind her again, but she didn't turn this time, instead, she shot a gamma bolt behind her, she turned quickly to see the figure dart out of her vision again. She frowned. She hadn't ever trained for covert attacks, only head on. A huge hole in her training was becoming apparent to her.

She stopped, listening intently for the movement again, discerning the direction it was moving. She shot out a mini barrier trap, something she and Clint had been working on. She hoped the figure would step in it and become stuck. She turned. No such luck. It sat there like a giant booger on the ground.

She huffed, becoming impatient. She stopped moving, listening again, but was startled almost out of her skin when the figure tackled her from behind.

She screamed and thrashed around under the figure. While she knew it wasn't real, it felt real, down to the body heat. She could see how this could definitely mess with someone's head. It was messing with hers.

She desperately tried to remember some of the self-defense that Natasha had taught her, but it all escaped her as she struggled to get away from the weird ninja holding her down.

Logan stepped up and speared the thing through the neck with his claws, it disappeared immediately. He retracted the claws and held his hand out to her to help her up.

"You need hand-to-hand combat training," he stated.

"I had it," she hissed.

He raised his eyebrows incredulously.

"I DID," she insisted.

"You might have had it, but it didn't stick," he said dryly.

"Look, Natasha ROMANOV trained me and she HAS been for the past few months."

"Is that name supposed to mean something?" Logan asked.

"The Black Widow," stated Alice.

Logan raised his eyebrows again and shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Alice huffed again, "She lives here." Her accent was getting thicker the more upset she became.

"Look, I don't care who trained you. Whoever trained you, didn't really train you because they were scared of you."

"Bullshit, Natasha isn't scared of anything."

"Not even of getting her skin melted off if she pushes you too hard?"

Alice was silent.

"What you know, is the fake stuff they teach rich kids. Those fucking rich kids couldn't defend themselves if their lives depended on it."

"What should I do then? If what you're sayin' is true, then there ain't a damn fool in their right mind who could actually train me."

Logan threw up his hands nonchalantly, obviously meaning to draw attention to himself.

"Oh what, YOU'RE gonna train me?"

"Why not?"

"Why would you?"

"Well, if I don't, you're gonna die. And if you die, Banner is gonna Hulk Smash the whole world. It's really just a matter of saving the world."

"How selfless of you."

Logan smirked.

"Is everything alright? Alice, dear, are you alright?" Xavier's voice asked.

"Fine, I'm fine," Alice waved up towards the control room.

"Do we have a deal?" Logan asked.

"What are you getting out of this?" Alice asked. She didn't trust the hound, not one bit.

"Call it a public service."

"I'd rather not."

"Just a friend helping out a friend, then."

"Whoa, wait, we're friends?"

"Sure."

Alice frowned, still not convinced he didn't have some kind of ulterior motive.

"You're terrible," he said bluntly.

"Ouch," Alice said, obviously hurt.

"Under pressure, you're terrible," Logan corrected himself. As if that made it better. "If something were to happen to you, we'd all be up shit creek." He nodded up towards the control room, where Bruce was.

Alice's heart lurched. She remembered what Tony and Steve told her about how Bruce reacted when she was kidnapped. It had taken all of them to talk him down from Hulking out and destroying Manhattan.

"Fine," she stuck out her hand. "Train me."

He took her hand, pumping it up and down.

She couldn't help but feel like she had just made a deal with the devil.

"One more round, Alice?" asked Xavier.

She nodded. "One more." She was feeling worn out.

She assumed her starting position in the middle of the room.

"I'll try something a bit more difficult this time," Xavier said. "Remember, Alice, they can't hurt you."

She nodded again. She felt like a bobble head, she was nodding so much.

Now there were at least a dozen figures in black. They were slinking around stone pillars that had appeared in the room.

_Ah,_ she thought, _obstacles._

She did a quick scan of the room to make sure nothing was behind her. There wasn't, so she readied her gamma bolts for an attack.

Suddenly, she felt that strange prickly sensation. Her skin felt clammy and cold. The air seemed electric. She could taste metal in her mouth. She wondered absently if something had gone wrong with the holographic generator.

A loud buzzing filled her ears, it was hard to hear anything over it.

One of the slinking ninjas stepped out from behind one of the pillars. It stood straight, and reached across its face to pull off the dark mask covering its features.

As the mask was slowly peeled back, she felt her nose dripping. She wiped it absently, and noticed blood on her hand. Her nose was bleeding again. She wiped it again, alarmed. More blood.

It all clicked. The buzzing, the metallic taste, the prickly sensation. JARVIS acting up the previous day… She looked up abruptly just as the ninja removed its mask.

_Thomas._

He grinned, not speaking.

She could hear Logan yelling, but he sounded so far away. She felt a pushing in her mind, like someone trying to get in. Panicking, she closed herself off. She felt the burning heat rising almost instantly in her body. She felt herself rise off the floor.

Thomas winked and disappeared.

* * *

**Bruce**

From the second that the ninja stepped out from behind the wall, Bruce knew something was wrong. He wasn't great at reading people, but the atmosphere in the room changed greatly and Xavier looked worried. Tony stood abruptly, pointing. A worried look crossed his face.

The ninja started pulling its mask off.

"Something's wrong down there," Bruce said, staring at Xavier worriedly.

"This is not part of the simulation…"Xavier admitted, closing his eyes. Hank fiddled manically with the controls.

Alice's nose started bleeding. She wiped it and wiped it again, staring at the blood on her hand.

Bruce pressed himself up to the glass, feeling powerless to help her.

The ninja's mask was off. Bruce's blood ran cold.

_Thomas._

The bastard was grinning. He looked giddy.

"Thomas! It's Thomas! How the fu—" Bruce turned towards Xavier. "What is this, a scare tactic? Are you trying to get a rise out of her?"

"JARVIS, lock it down," Tony ordered.

"The whole building, sir?"

"Yep."

Xavier's eyes were closed, as if he were concentrating very hard on something. He opened them suddenly, inhaling deeply. "I can't reach her, she's locked herself away."

Bruce watched helplessly as her eyes began to glow, her arms began to burn and her body began to rise off the floor.

She let out a long loud screech, staring up into the ceiling. She extended her arms. A gust of gamma energy rushed out into the holograms, destroying them and the pillars.

"That's new," stated Tony, in awe.

Logan was approaching her cautiously.

_Stupid ass. _

"Stupid ass," said Tony, voicing Bruce's thoughts exactly.

He appeared to be trying to talk her down. Alice turned towards him and extended her hand, shooting a gamma bolt at him, knocking him back against the wall.

Kitty turned and ran through the back wall to escape.

"Let me talk to Alice," Bruce pleaded.

Xavier nodded, handing him the microphone.

"Alice! Alice, love, it's me. It's Bruce."

She stared at him with those hollow eyes. It was eerie. Her hair floated around her and green flames licked around her neck and chest, charring the tank top she was wearing. Her gaze softened somewhat.

"Alice, you need to stop. Logan isn't trying to hurt you."

She looked back at Logan, coughing and sputtering on the floor.

"Please, come back to me, Alice," Bruce pleaded. He'd found that saying her name repeatedly helped bring her back quickly.

She nodded. She raised her arms and looked up to the ceiling again. The gamma flew out of her in a bright green blaze as she burned the rest of the energy off. She floated back down to the ground, collapsing in a heap.

Bruce bolted from the room. He ran down the stairs to the nearest entrance and barreled in towards her. Tony followed him, but ran in an opposite direction, probably to check the security feeds.

He knelt down on the ground and pulled her close to him. Her body was ice cold. She turned her head towards him, snuggling close to him for warmth.

Xavier joined them soon after, his face was unreadable.

Bruce turned on him. "What the hell was that? What, did you go into her head and find what scared her the most, and put that in your little holographic generator? What kind of a sick bast—"

"I understand your anger, Dr. Banner, but that visage was no creation of mine. I do NOT enter someone's mind without permission and I most certainly do not use their greatest fears against them."

Xavier looked genuinely upset, so Bruce dropped the matter.

"Right, right, of course, I apologize…but what WAS that?"

Logan stood up, having healed himself completely.

"It was a little blond dude, he took off the mask and just grinned at her. She went kinda…apeshit after that…"

"That was Thomas, that's who kidnapped her."

Logan nodded. "The one who came into her hospital room?"

Bruce bristled. _How the FUCK does he know about that?_

"That was just a hallucination, he didn't really come into her room."

"That was no hallucination," Logan said, pointing at the spot where the image had been. "That was real as fuck."

"Language, please, Logan," Xavier chided.

"That was real as shit," Logan corrected himself.

Xavier sighed.

"That was a real person?" Bruce asked, bewildered. "How is that…"

"Thomas is a technokinetic," explained Xavier. "It appears that he also possesses the ability to teleport."

"How do you know that?" Bruce asked. They hadn't shared any information they had about Thomas with anyone.

"Thomas is a mutant, I am aware of all mutants."

"You're aware of all mutants, so, why can't you stop him?"

"It doesn't work like that, Dr. Banner. I can't just stop every mutant. I'm not God, no mortal should have that power!"

Bruce realized he'd overstepped yet again, "I apologize, Dr. Xavier, I was out of line…I just…I don't understand how he could teleport in here…that's impossible…Tony has precautions against that kind of thing…"

"Not if he used a means I'm not familiar with…" said Tony, walking up to them in a daze, as if trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened. "He's a technokinetic, so he probably doesn't use the 4th dimension or any other typical mediums to teleport through. I can't believe we didn't think of this before, Bruce…he's probably transmitting himself as data. There is a HUGE influx of data coming into and leaving this tower at any given moment. He could have hidden himself in a stupid email forward, or on facebook even…" he turned and walked away, still muttering to himself.

"So…that was really him?" asked Bruce.

"That was no hologram," concluded Xavier.

"So…if that was really him…then…that could have been him in her hospital room?"

"I'd say it's highly probable."

Bruce felt sick. He hadn't believed her. He should have believed her. He looked down at her sleeping form in his arms. He'd never felt like a bigger asshole then he did at that moment.

"I bet you feel pretty shitty, don't you?" asked Logan, a small smirk on his lips.

"Shut up," Bruce muttered, turning to leave. He wanted to take Alice back to their apartment.

Logan followed him closely.

"What's your problem, anyway?" Bruce asked Logan.

Logan frowned, "Besides the fact that your girlfriend just shot me with a ball of gamma radiation? Not much."

"MY girlfriend," Bruce repeated, looking at Logan from the corner of his eye. He was starting to get some weird vibes from him. It made him want to take Alice and leave. Leave and never see Logan again.

"I'm training her, by the way," Logan said.

"What?"

"Yeah, I think she needs a real trainer. One who's not afraid of her."

"She has a trainer. A damn good one. She doesn't need a wild animal."

"Maybe that's exactly what she needs."

Bruce felt the Other Guy claw and growl. He turned towards Logan abruptly. "Stay away from her," he hissed.

"Trying to mark your territory, Banner?"

"If that's what you need to call it. Back. Off."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Jealousy isn't a very attractive trait…then again, green never WAS your color."

Bruce stalked to the elevator. He felt his fears, his greatest fear (losing Alice), coiling up like a snake in the pit of his stomach. He had to get himself under control before she woke up.

Once they were home, he laid her down gently on the bed, taking off her shoes and covering her with the blankets. She was freezing, so he took his own shoes off and climbed into bed with her, pulling her flush up against his body. The gesture was more selfish than selfless, however. He wanted to warm her and make sure she felt safe and comfortable, but he also wanted to be the first thing she sensed when she woke up. He wanted to be the first thing on her mind.

He nuzzled his nose into her hair, closing his eyes and waiting for her to wake up.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Oh my gosh...**

**OMG. Thomas. **

**And Bruce. I bet you feel terrible now. AND you're being paranoid. Paranoia is NEVER a good thing. **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Follow/Favorite/Review if you feel so inclined! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Fall for You' by Secondhand Serenade. Warnings: Language, Angst and mentions of medical procedures.**

* * *

**Angela**

"Just what the FUCK were you thinking, Thomas?" Angela asked, letting her arms drop to her sides. "What the actual FUCK?"

"Chill, Angela. Damn. Nothing happened, nobody got hurt."

"Yeah, but if RYKER finds out…"

"He's not going to, now is he? Who is going to tell him? Stark? Banner? YOU?"

"But, why did you do it? Now they know! They know what you are and they know what you do. They aren't idiots. They even have that mutant doctor with them. The one who operates Cerebro?"

Angela could not believe that Thomas had gone to Avengers Tower again. Just so he could scare the shit out of that girl.

_Why is everyone so fucking obsessed with Alice fucking Vorso?_

"They were going to figure it out eventually. Plus, I have no plans to go back, so I don't see what the big problem is. The entire world is connected, Angela. I can mess with them, crush them from afar. I don't need to be near them. I just needed her to know. I needed her to know that I'm still watching her. "

He looked so fucking confident. He sat back in the squeaky chair by the desk in her room. He propped his feet up on the its surface and leaned back with his hands behind his head.

"After that Flux screw-up, I don't know if your whole 'plan' is going to work," Angela said warily, wondering if she should turn herself in and switch sides.

"Psh. That was a warm-up. None of us knew how strong the Hulk was and it turns out when his little girlfriend gives him stat buffs, he's damn well near unstoppable. The thing we had going for us was that the stronger he gets, the more belligerent he becomes. If she's able to increase his strength without angering him more, we're screwed if we don't have a backup plan."

"Let me guess…you and Ryker have a backup plan."

"Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!" Thomas grinned.

"And that's where you're headed tonight."

"Where WE'RE headed tonight."

"WE? Why do I have to come along?"

"To pose as my wife, of course. Ryker and guests are getting a tour of one of the top maximum security prisons in the world. The prison where they send the bad guys so bad, that SHIELD can't even deal with them anymore."

"I have to be your wife? Why can't I be your sister?"

"I tell you that we're going to the place that houses the world's most dangerous offenders and you are upset because you have to pretend to be my wife?" Thomas let his legs drop to the ground.

"I just don't think I'll be able to pull it off. I'm so much older than you..."

He scoffed, "I know you're compliment fishing, but you know that's not true."

"I don't see why I have to go," Angela repeated, feeling somewhat better. She was going to go, that much she knew. But, she had to keep up the charade and refuse a few more times.

Anything was better than staying here alone.

"Because a bunch of dudes taking a prison tour looks weird. That's why," he replied exasperatedly.

She rolled her eyes.

"Can I tell you the name of the prison? You kinda stepped on my intro."

"Fine," she sighed, "what is it?"

"The Raft."

"Woo hoo," Angela said dryly.

"Damn right, woo hoo," Thomas looked a bit deflated. Angela loved knocking him off his pedestal. Kept him grounded.

"Why are we going to the Raft, Thomas?" Angela asked, decided to placate him.

"To retrieve a new friend," he said, waggling his eyebrows mysteriously.

"A new friend. Wonderful. That's just what our evil plan needs. More people."

"No. Angela. Not people. Well…I guess he WAS a person. Once."

"I have no clue what you're getting at, Mutant-Boy."

"Angela. Tell me. Put that doctorate to some use. What's better than one gamma mutate?"

"No gamma mutates."

Thomas' face fell. He stared at her, a dead expression on his face.

"Okay, fine. I'll play along. What's better than one gamma mutate?"

"TWO gamma mutates."

"What? You can't have two. The Hulk is loyal to Vorso."

Thomas looked at her knowingly.

Angela stopped being difficult and actually thought about it, mulled it over in her head.

_Two gamma mutates. We have Flux, Vorso has the Hulk…we're going to break someone out of the Raft and…oh. My. God. _

She looked up, suddenly understanding. "Blonsky."

"Blonsky," Thomas grinned, nodding.

* * *

**Alice**

When she woke up, she was alone in bed, but aware of a flurry of activity going on outside the room.

She sat up, shivering immediately. She grabbed the fleece throw blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around herself. She rose shakily and walked out to the living room. She had to lean on the door frame for support. She felt so tired, like her legs couldn't hold her up.

Bruce was talking animatedly to Dr. McCoy-Hank. Xavier was there in the room too, sitting in his chair furthest away from her.

"How are you feeling dear?" Xavier asked, turning his attention to her.

Alice straightened, shivering immediately and pulling the blanket more tightly around her.

"Cold," she answered.

Bruce immediately crossed the room to her and slid his arm around her shoulders while he walked her to the couch. Once she was seated, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

_He's so warm…_she leaned into him and he promptly sat down and wrapped his arms around her.

"Alice, would you agree to come down to the hospital wing?" asked Dr. McCoy immediately.

"Could you give her a chance to wake up, maybe?" asked Bruce.

He sounded annoyed. And worried. Mostly annoyed.

"Time really is of the essence. I need to run some tests."

"What kind of tests?" she asked, turning towards Bruce.

"Dr. McCoy seems to think that your body is reacting badly to the amount of gamma radiation you have when you…"

"Go into your ultimate form," finished Dr. McCoy.

Bruce shrugged, "That's not how I would word it…but…"

"So…what does that mean?" Alice asked, alarmed. It WOULD explain why she was feeling so shitty lately.

"I don't know, that's why I need to run the tests: an MRI with contrast and some blood work," answered Dr. McCoy. She could tell he was agitated, but trying to be polite.

"I don't see why not," Alice conceded.

"Let's not waste any time, then," Dr. McCoy turned to leave the room.

Alice tried to rise to walk, but her legs felt weak, so she sat back down. Bruce scooped her up in his arms and carried her out into the hall.

As they were walking to the elevator, Alice looked up at Bruce. His brow was furrowed and he was giving off a lot of gamma energy.

"You're worried," she stated.

"A little, yeah…" he looked down at her, "I'm sorry, I'm probably putting off a lot of gamma right now, aren't I?" His face looked conflicted.

"It's not your fault, Bruce."

He nodded curtly, pressing another kiss to her cheek. "I should have brought another blanket. You're so cold."

She snuggled closer to him, pressing her nose into the crook of his neck and inhaling deeply.

The hospital staff seemed to be expecting them, they had a room ready.

Hank looked around the room, likely assessing the materials he'd have to work with. He seemed impressed. Or at the very least, satisfied. As he readied the needles and syringes, he tried to make small talk.

"I don't think I got a chance to tell you this when I met you, but Vorso is SUCH an interesting name," he said.

"Thank you, it was my father's," Alice replied, smirking playfully.

Hank chuckled, "I meant, it's Latin, isn't it? From '_vorsipellis_', which means, shape shifter."

"Is it?"

"I believe so, yes."

"Well…I'm no shapeshifter."

"Ah, but someone in your family might have been."

"The only thing I've ever known about my father is his name, so I couldn't tell you."

"Well, there's something to research, anyway. Mutant genealogy is a VERY interesting subject."

Alice nodded, only half listening. She was too nervous to really pay attention to what Hank was saying. Bruce sat beside her, squeezing her hand tightly.

The first thing Hank did was set up an IV line. She was going to have an MRI with contrast, so he was going to pump dye in through the IV and all her veins would show up on the scan. She wasn't sure what he was looking for. As far as she knew, her mutation was on the cellular level and wouldn't be visible to the naked eye on a scan like that.

"I'm going to need quite a bit of blood for all the tests. 12 vials, at least. Maybe a few more just to be safe," Hank informed both of them.

Bruce's eyes widened infinitesimally. It was slight, but Alice noticed. Mostly because of the spike in gamma energy she felt coming from him.

Hank used the IV line to take the blood. She was starting to feel woozy after the first 4. She lost count after 12, letting her head rest on the pillow behind her.

Bruce kept talking to her to keep her awake. It was annoying, but she supposed it was necessary.

After he finished taking the blood, Hank handed her a bottle of apple juice. She sat up, and drank it through a straw and immediately started to feel better.

Well…she still had a splitting headache, but that was normal after what Alice referred to as a "freak out". She still didn't really remember what caused it in the first place.

Bruce kept asking her if she remembered anything, but was really vague when she asked what had happened.

After she felt better and was able to walk, Bruce helped her hop down from the bed and walked her down the hall to the room with the MRI machine.

She'd seen one before, when she'd taken her Grams to the hospital for tests and treatment. It looked like a long white tube, with a bed that passed through it. Grams always hated them, because she was slightly claustrophobic.

"So first I'll take some initial scans. Then, I'll inject the contrast medium and take more scans…it will take a while, about 45 minutes or so."

Alice nodded, "Okay, I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"You do. You can tell me you don't want the test," said Hank.

Alice looked over at Bruce, who was agitated to the point where he was practically wringing his hands.

"No, it's fine. We can do it."

If it would put Bruce's fears to rest, she could sit in a tube for an hour while a machine took pictures of her brain.

It went rather well, actually. It was kind of relaxing, she could have gone to sleep if weren't for the loud clicking and buzzing sounds that the machines made.

Halfway through, Hank injected her with the contrast medium, which burned a little going in. Besides that, it wasn't that bad. It gave her some time to think about what had happened. She still for the life of her couldn't remember what had set her off.

The clicking and buzzing abruptly stopped.

"Alice?" She heard Hank's voice over the PA.

"Hmm?"

"Could you stop humming, please?"

She frowned. She hadn't realized she had been humming.

"Not that I don't like the song, but it's a little distracting," he said, attempting a joke.

"Sure, no problem. I didn't realize I was doing it. Sorry, Hank."

"It's fine, Alice."

She relaxed again, closing her eyes as the clicking and buzzing resumed. She let her mind wander again. She ran over the events of the morning in her mind, the memory going fuzzy again when she tried to remember what had happened that set her off.

The buzzing and clicking stopped again.

"Alice, you're doing it again."

"Sorry! Hank, I really don't realize I'm doing it, I'm only trying to remember what set me off earlier."

"Just try to relax, I'm almost done."

"Alright, I will just clear my mind."

"About 10 minutes left."

She cleared her mind, employing some of the meditation tactics that Bruce had taught her. She was fairly certain he did Yoga. She didn't know when he did it, but he did. The guy was just too flexible to sit in the lab all day. She was pretty sure she blushed after that thought.

Not that she was complaining, though. Far from it. But, if he was doing yoga, she wanted to as well. It was just unfair if the guy was more flexible than the girl.

Soon, Hank slid her out of the MRI tube. He took her hand and helped her sit. The fur on his hands was very soft, similar to a cat's fur.

"Your skin is freezing," he exclaimed.

"I honestly don't notice it anymore, I'm always about 2 degrees cooler than normal body temp," shrugged Alice. "It started around the same time I started siphoning, so I think it has something to do with the gamma energy."

"Your body's automatic response is to cool your body so you can store the energy, otherwise, you'd be many degrees hotter than normal," Hank speculated, "I'll bet it's part of your original mutation."

"Did you see anything?" Alice asked, standing to follow Hank out into the hall where Bruce was waiting.

"Nothing too apparent, I'll have to review the data a few more times. I did notice some cell death in various parts of your body. Nothing extreme, just a bit more than what I'd expect in a healthy young woman."

"No cancer, or anything?"

"Oh no, nothing like that."

She felt herself relax a bit.

"So, are you a big Stealer's Wheel fan?"

"Say what now?" she asked, confused. It was kind of a random question.

"The song you were humming….'Here I am, stuck in the middle with you…' it's Stealer's Wheel."

She froze. "That's the song I was humming?"

He nodded, turning to open the door to the room. "Yeah, it's a good song."

She couldn't will her legs to move.

_Why was I humming that song?_

"Alice?" Bruce's worried voice brought her out of her thoughts.

She looked up at him.

"What's wrong? Was there –" he gulped, "Something on the MRI? Are you okay?"

"Nothing abnormal on the MRI, Bruce," supplied Hank, who was also staring at Alice.

"Stuck In the Middle With You? You're SURE that's what I was humming?" she asked, aware of how manic her voice sounded.

"Yeah, pretty sure."

Alice looked over at Bruce, who was now gaping at Hank.

"She was humming?"

"Yes, during the MRI, she kept humming that song. Not a huge deal, but it was distracting."

Bruce looked back at Alice. She swallowed the lump that had risen in her throat.

_ Coincidence. Don't make a huge deal out of it. No one will believe you, anyway. You're probably just making a mountain out of a mole hill. Just shrug it off. It was probably just something your tired brain dredged up. _

"It's nothing," Alice shrugged. "I'm just tired, I'm sure my mind just pulled it out randomly." She pulled the blanket around her tightly. "Am I done here? Can I go back to bed?"

"Sure," said Hank warily.

"Alice, don't you want to talk or anything? Maybe get something to eat?"

Her stomach was rumbling. She placed her hand over it. "Yeah, I guess I could eat, can I go home first, though?"

Bruce put one hand on her elbow and the other on the small of her back, he led her back out to the elevator.

"Don't you want to help him interpret the MRI?"

"No. I want to be with you," he said simply. "I'm not the scientist right now, I'm the boyfriend."

She smiled, "Thank you. I need my boyfriend right now."

He slid his hand into hers as they rode the elevator back up to the apartment.

Once they got back to the room, he got her tucked into bed with extra blankets and an episode of Doctor Who playing on the TV.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Ummm…could you make me a cheese omelet, please?"

He grinned, "Of course, how many eggs?"

She thought for a moment. "I want two omelets, two eggs each."

"Are you that hungry?"

"I'm starving."

"Okay, 2 cheese omelets, anything else?"

"Water? I'm really thirsty."

"Sure," he kissed her forehead and left the room.

Once the door had closed, Alice laid back on the pillows, covering her face with her hands. She curled into the fetal position.

_Why was I humming that song? It must have been because of what happened in the elevator_.

She desperately wanted to tell Bruce about it, but she dreaded his reaction. She couldn't for the life of her remember what happened during the training session, only that she'd woken up here and everyone was worried about her now.

She had so many thoughts buzzing around in her head, it was impossible to pinpoint one and resolve it. She felt like if anything else happened, she'd just snap.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked, opening the door cautiously.

She shook her head, a lump formed in her throat. She couldn't even tell Bruce.

_I am all alone in this…_

"Alice, please? Tell me what's wrong, love."

She shook her head again. She couldn't form the words. Tears started to drip down her cheeks.

"Alice? Was it something Hank said? Something with the MRI or your blood work? Please don't hide it from me if something's wrong."

"It's not that," Alice choked out.

"What's the matter?" His hand was dragging up and down her spine comfortingly. Her Grams used to do it for her when she was younger.

"I…can't…" she sputtered, fresh tears pouring from her eyes.

"Why? What can't you tell me?" He brought his face down to her level, laying down on the bed beside her. "You can tell me anything, Alice."

"Not this." If she told him what she thought about the song, about what happened in the elevator, he'd think she was an idiot. She silently cursed the fact that she had no one, absolutely no one to confide in anymore.

"What is it Alice, please tell me?" he pleaded.

She shook her head rapidly, turning to cry into her pillow.

"Is it about earlier? About Thomas?" he asked.

_THOMAS? What the…_

She snapped her head up. "Wha-? How did you-? Was I talking in my sleep?"

He frowned, "No, Alice, I'm referring to earlier, when you…" he pantomimed floating with his hands.

"What does Thomas have to do with that?"

"He was here, Alice. He used some form of teleportation. He was here."

"Here?" she whispered, unable or unwilling to believe him.

He nodded solemnly, "And probably in your hospital room before too…I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. Alice…" he coughed. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but Xavier and Hank thought it would upset you too much, they wanted you to remember it on your own."

She tried to remember earlier that morning, but still couldn't. "I don't remember this morning, Bruce, nothing, nothing at all."

"You remember something, you were humming that song during your MRI."

"I thought it was because of what happened yesterday…" she said absently.

"What happened yesterday?"

The words just tumbled out. Once she got started she couldn't stop talking. She told Bruce every detail that had been swimming around in her brain since the day before.

Bruce's eyes were wide, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I didn't think you'd believe me and I couldn't stand for you to think I'm an idiot. Or obsessive or something…I just…I don't want to embarrass you anymore, Bruce."

He stared at her. She felt stupid. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself.

"If you told me…"

"You'd have said it was my imagination, that I needed to go home and sleep. That I needed to stop obsessing. You know that's what you would've said, Bruce."

"You don't know what I might have said…"

"Bruce…can you honestly blame me?"

He pursed his lips before shaking his head. "No. No, I can't blame you."

He opened his mouth and closed a few times before leaning down to hug her tightly. "I am so sorry."

She felt her tears pour out over her cheeks. She felt relieved, but at the same time, angry and scared. The entire time this had been going on, she hadn't wanted to be right. She desperately wanted it to be a dream. But now, NOW it was real. It happened. It was fact. Facts were so much scarier than doubts.

Bruce held her while she cried, kissing her cheeks and wiping her tears every so often. He murmured his apologies into her hair and promised to never, EVER doubt her again.

* * *

**Bruce**

When Alice had finally eaten and gone to sleep, Bruce was still wide awake. He walked out into the kitchen to clean up the dishes. He loaded the dishwasher and washed the frying pan by hand. He sighed as he realized he STILL hadn't installed the pot rack Alice had bought from IKEA. He put the pot down on a dish towel and lugged out the box from the corner where it would be gathering dust if everything wasn't obsessively clean.

_I'm not going to sleep for a while, I might as well do SOMETHING for her. _

Bruce pulled out the instructions, wanting to do anything but think about the past few days. He was mad at himself, but he was also mad at her. He didn't know why. But he was. Maybe he was just mad in general and looking for someone to blame, that certainly sounded like something he'd do.

But she TOLD him everything was fine when it wasn't. It obviously wasn't.

He sighed heavily and went to go look for the tools he'd need to assemble the pot rack.

His phone buzzed. He pulled it out and opened a text from Tony.

_"Can I come over and talk? Or are you busy?" _

Bruce texted back, "_I'm not busy." _

Almost immediately, there was a knock at the door. Bruce shook his head as he went to open it. He stepped aside to let Tony in.

"Were you waiting outside?"

"Yes."

_I don't know what I was expecting…_

"What do you need?" Bruce asked as he walked back over to the pot rack.

"You doing okay, man?"

"Peachy. Why do you ask?"

"You're assembling an IKEA pot rack alone in your kitchen at 8pm."

"Alice went to sleep. I wasn't tired, so I figured I'd set this up for her. She's been asking me to."

"Want me to call someone to come up and do it for you tomorrow?"

Bruce scoffed, "I have 4 doctorates. And you are an engineer. I'm sure that between the two of us, we can assemble a pot rack."

"Since when did I get roped into helping?"

"You're the one who wanted to come over."

Tony made an indecisive noise and pulled up a stool to help.

"So what can I do for you? Or are you really just wanting to talk?" Bruce raised his eyebrows.

"Just found some information on that Tibbets guy."

Bruce waited.

"Turns out…he was last sent to the army base under Ryker's command."

"No surprise there."

"No, but here's the kicker. Ryker has been ordering massive experiments utilizing gamma rays on that base."

"So he's created another Hulk then."

"Precisely. They call him Flux."

"How in the world did you find that out?"

"Just snooping around SHIELD's files."

"Wow. There's another super human gamma mutate that SHIELD knew about and they didn't bother to tell me, their resident expert on the topic. I can't say I'm surprised."

"Don't get too cynical. There's something going on there. Something big. I can't tell what it is, but it's huge. I have a feeling they have bigger fish to fry than Ryker."

"What is it, another alien invasion?"

"I don't know. All I know is, they haven't told us about it, and you know what that means.

"Not our problem."

"Yep. That's my favorite kind of problem."

They were silent for a while. The only sounds in the apartment were the air conditioning turning on and random whispered swear words coming from Tony.

They finished the pot rack in record time.

"Why are there extra pieces?" asked Bruce.

"I think these are for the ceiling assembly…"

"Okay, but why is this here? Is this a sprocket?" Bruce held up a tiny cog wheel, with a look of disbelief.

"Yes. That is INDEED a sprocket…"

"What's it for? Why would they include this in a pot rack?"

Tony mumbled something under his breath, Bruce couldn't catch most of it, but he did pick up on the words "Swedish" and "sprockets".

They began to anchor the assembly to the ceiling above the stove.

"So, Bruce…is Alice okay? I mean…what did Hank find out?"

"Pretty much the same findings as I had. Nothing inherently wrong, she does have some cell death according to the blood work he did. He is still evaluating the MRI findings."

"I figured you'd be down there with him."

Bruce shook his head. "She needs me here with her. Especially after…Thomas."

Tony was silent. He aggressively screwed in an anchor.

"I can't BELIEVE that little shit got in here again."

"I can't believe I forgot my laptop in the lab yesterday. I checked it afterwards. Readings off the charts. I could have at least warned her…" he trailed off, shaking his head. He held the rack up as Tony attached it to the ceiling assembly.

Tony hopped down from the counter. "You can't be perfect all the time, Bruce. Shit happens. You can't protect her from everything."

Tony was speaking from experience, Bruce knew that.

They stood back to admire their handiwork. Despite all that had happened, it was strangely satisfying to build something. Even if it was something from IKEA.

"Oh, wait…" Tony picked up the sprocket from the counter and hung it from a hook on the rack. "There. We used all the pieces."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Oh Bruce. *sighs* **

**Just to explain his feelings a little more, he's feeling guilty and angry with himself, and it's spilling over onto Alice. We all know Bruce is hyper rational, so he's trying to rationalize all this anger he's feeling, and he isn't good at dealing with anger. It's a major flaw in his character. (Didn't REALLY need to be said, but you all know how I am.) At least he knows he's not really angry with Alice, even if he feels like it. **

**New plans unfolding for Thomas and Ryker...**

**And we're finally going to get some insight into what's going on with Alice. **

**Next chapter will be up Wednesday, I hope. American Horror Story premiers that night, so I want to have it ready before then. **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I DO own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**R&R, please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'I Am Not A Robot' by Marina and the Diamonds. Warnings: Repressed memories of past abuse, angst, language. **

* * *

**Alice**

"So…you're going to go into my head…to look at my memories?" Alice gripped the arms of the chair in her living room. Her sweaty palms slid on the wood.

"Yes, with your permission, of course," Professor Xavier said kindly.

"And this is going to…help me feel better?"

"I hope it will. Hank says that your general malaise is due to an increase of your stress hormone," explained the Professor. "It builds up until your body physically can't handle it anymore, and that's when you let your other self take over."

"My other self is the floaty, on fire, judgment passing, justice dealing alter ego, correct?"

"Correct."

"Why can't I remember anything she does?"

"That's what I'm hoping to find out. Bruce has an alter ego as well; he also takes a physical form. However, I'd venture to say that the Hulk has always existed in one way or another in Bruce's life. As a part of a mind fragment, or a split personality. The physical form of that fragment came about as a result of his exposure to gamma radiation," Xavier explained.

"Yep, that's me…split into parts, never whole…" Bruce laughed hollowly, looking down at his hands.

Alice suppressed the urge to jump up and hug him.

Xavier continued, "You, however, have no mind fragments to speak of, you don't suffer from the same mental condition that Bruce does. I'd theorize that you simply have buried memories. Your alter ego exists as a way to protect your mind from those memories. If you encounter a trigger, your other self takes over so you don't have to deal with those repressed memories. If we can unlock them, not only would it free up your mind, in theory, you'd be able to control your powers as your other self."

"OR, alternately, I could get stuck as my alter ego forever," Alice added flatly.

"I don't think that's something you should worry about. YOU are Alice. Your alter ego is a defense mechanism."

"So is the Hulk," said Bruce quietly.

Xavier glanced at Bruce for a split second, but ultimately ignored his comment. "If it appears to be going in that direction, there are things I could do to keep that from happening."

Alice felt a little better, but not much. She glanced towards Bruce, who had gone back to staring at his hands. Things had been weird between them since Thomas had shown up in the simulation. She wasn't sure what to say to him anymore. He was incredibly moody and pensive. Every time she tried to sit down and talk to him, he'd somehow find something else more important. She sensed a major blow out on the horizon and while she didn't really want to fight with him, at the same time, she knew it needed to happen. It was inevitable.

She kind of wished he was beside her right now, though. She felt so scared, she almost couldn't think straight. She felt her eyes darting around. Both her legs bounced uncontrollably and she had to grip the arms of the chair in order not to wring her hands.

"So, how do we do this?" she asked hesitantly, choosing her words. She kept tripping herself up and getting tongue-tied.

That was apparently the phrase everyone was waiting for her to say. The tone in the room became less tense and more purposeful. Alice thought she could hear Hank sigh in relief. Probably happy she didn't deny them outright.

"Just relax, Alice. Close your eyes and clear your mind of everything except for a door. You can lock this door if you wish, but unlock it or imagine the key when you're ready for me to begin."

"This won't hurt, will it?" she asked, her voice quiet. She was almost afraid to ask, like they would judge her for worrying about something so trivial.

"Not at all. Some of your memories might be a lot for you to take, but that's why we have Bruce here, to help you through them."

Alice glanced over at him. He still wasn't looking at her. She didn't really feel supported at all. Her chin started trembling so she clamped her jaw tightly closed, her teeth clacked together. She blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

She told herself she didn't want to cry because she didn't want their pity. In reality, it was the fear of Bruce's indifference. What if she cried and he didn't react? What if he didn't care anymore?

She tried to look hopeful and nodded her head. She couldn't speak.

"Are you sure you want to do this today?" asked Xavier.

She looked over at Bruce, who finally met her gaze. His eyes looked blank. It was so hard to read his mood when he closed himself off. Alice looked down at her bouncing knees, her white knuckles, timed her breathing so she didn't hyperventilate. Anything so she didn't have to look at him. At his accusatory stare. She wasn't even sure what he was accusing her of. HE was the one who refused to believe her about Thomas. SHE was the one who had the right to be upset. Yet, here she was, trying to figure out what SHE'D done to upset HIM. It made her mad, but at least she wasn't on the verge of tears anymore.

His hand was suddenly on hers, squeezing around her hand on the chair. He gently pried her fingers off the wood and laced them with his. She left her hand limp. She wasn't sure if she was punishing him, or if her muscles were just refusing to obey. He didn't seem to mind, he squeezed her hand twice as hard to make up for it.

She knew she couldn't look at him. She'd break down if she looked at him now. He was doing this out of pity.

She didn't want his pity, but she craved his presence. So, she'd take what she could get.

"Alice, are you ready to begin?" Xavier's soft voice penetrated the silence.

She nodded, every movement felt like it was jerky, stuttering.

Bruce pulled her hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. The feel of his lips was like a balm, easing the pain she felt, the tension in her shoulders relaxed. She imagined it was almost visible, judging by the way she settled back into the chair and sighed contentedly.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on nothing but a large green door. She felt a warm presence in her mind.

_"If I start to look at something you don't want me to see, just imagine a door shutting and locking it away."_

_ Are you already in here?_

_ "Yes, now just relax." _

She took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. She vaguely heard Bruce's voice, "I love you…"

It wasn't too bad, actually. It just felt like a trip down memory lane as Xavier rifled through her memories. She slammed the door on the more intimate things that she didn't wish to share, but for the most part, she felt fine.

Xavier delved back further, accessing memories from her college days, the first time she met Zeke, her last piano concert.

The time when she had to tell her Pops that she was dropping out of the music program. Her heart jumped up in her throat and her heart raced just as fast as it had the day she told him. The look of disappointment in his eyes was heartbreaking. She felt tears welling up behind her eyelids.

Xavier didn't stop there, didn't linger in any one memory. He went back further still, past high school, grade school, kindergarten.

A lot of these were things she hadn't thought about in years. Decades even.

He got to a particularly foggy memory: the first time she met her grandparents. She didn't even realize she remembered this. She looked at her Grams and her Pops, both younger and completely surprised to find out that she existed.

He went back further, through the final car ride with her father, back to her time spent as a test subject.

She felt sick when he started accessing those memories.

"No…" she murmured, unable to control herself.

"_Alice, this is where your other self stems from, I need to look at these memories," _Xavier's voice stated.

"No…" she whispered again, tears forming in her tightly closed eyes. They squeezed through her eyelids and slid down her cheeks. She felt Bruce squeeze her hand tighter, or was it her hand doing the squeezing? It was hard to tell.

_Needles…so many needles. They stuck her with needles every day. She didn't even cry anymore, but tears dripped from her eyes anyway. They strapped her down. She couldn't move. Their big hands were stronger than hers. _

She jerked her arms away from Bruce, not wanting to be held down.

_The IV had some kind of green liquid in it. It burned going in, felt like liquid fire. _

_ "Alice…you're safe. This isn't real. It's in your head!" _Xavier's voice calmly reminded her.

"It's not…it's not in my head…it's real…it's real…" she repeated it over and over again, flinching away from Bruce when he tried to grab her hand again.

_ There's just one more thing I need to see, Alice. _

"NO!" she exclaimed. "No, I don't want to remember…" tears dripped out of her eyes freely now, wetting her cheeks and dripping down her neck. She didn't cry, but the tears still ran.

_Alice, just for a moment._

Doors upon doors slammed and locked.

_ I can't think about this now, Professor. I can't relive it, I can't. _

She shook her head furiously, trying to shake him out.

_Alice, I just need to see where your other self is. I'll leave once I find her. She's living in these memories. Let me in and I can help you. You are strong enough. You can do this. _

"I don't want to remember…" her voice was no more than a whisper. This was like a bad dream. One where you try to scream, but can't make any noise. "Please…I don't want to remember…"

_Alice, please…let me help you. _

"Shh…Alice…it's okay…I'm here," she heard Bruce's voice faintly. "You don't have to go through this alone. I'm here."

_I am, though, _she thought miserably. _You can't help me with this…_

She inhaled deeply, steeling herself for whatever was behind that door.

One by one, the doors unlocked and opened.

Her heart beat faster the closer they got to the memory.

_Just keep calm, my dear, it will all be over in a moment. _

The last door opened and Alice was flooded with the memory she wanted most to forget. The breath left her body, she gasped, her eyes wide open, but unseeing.

Once Xavier saw it, he closed and locked the door himself. It was large and grey, heavy looking. Not a door she'd ever seen before.

Alice couldn't recall what the memory was seconds after she'd remembered it.

Her eyes closed again, she furrowed her brow, confused about what had happened.

Xavier slowly withdrew from her mind, closing the big green door again.

"Alice, I've seen where your other-self resides."

"And?" she asked, expectantly.

"It is protecting a memory that even I deem too painful for you to remember right now."

Bruce frowned, lacing his fingers with hers. "What about her stress levels? What about her other self?"

Alice couldn't stop thinking about the memories he DID recover. What was so bad that she couldn't handle it? What could have possibly happened?

"I'm confident that with some therapy sessions and mental exercise, Alice will be able to control her other self in all ways apart from that memory."

"You just…took the memory away, though?" she asked.

"I think after multiple therapy sessions, you will be ready to access it. What I have done is only a temporary fix. In order for you to have complete control of your powers, you'll have to face this memory."

Alice leaned back against the chair again, suddenly exhausted. Her mind was buzzing, random thoughts flitting in and out of her subconscious. She felt like she was short circuited. Too much data.

The more she tried to quiet her thoughts, the louder they became, she had to think about something else. She settled on something that had been bothering her the entire time Dr. McCoy and Xavier had been here.

"Dr. Xavier, with all due respect…if you knew about my powers, if you knew about what happened at Meadowbrook…why did you send Logan to speak with me and not come here yourself?"

Xavier sighed. "I don't pretend to have all the answers, Alice. I don't look into someone's mind without their permission. The only thing I picked up on from Cerebro was that you had finally accessed your powers again and that you were in good hands here. Logan, who suffers from some sort of 'white knight syndrome', came here of his own accord. However, once he tried to bring you to the school and you were followed, I had to involve myself."

Alice chuckled, "All of that was for nothing."

"Not nothing. As it turns out, you DO need my help. I would have ended up paying you a visit eventually."

"What about Thomas? You say he is a mutant as well, why didn't you interfere with him?"

"I tried. I wasn't able to get through to him. Not everyone responds to my particular brand of diplomacy."

"What about when I was created?" she asked quietly. The memories of the experiments jumped to the front of her mind. Needles, green liquid, pain. "Why didn't you help me then?" she asked, unshed tears glistening in her eyes.

"I couldn't see you then. Your powers were too weak. You were just a child. An infant. I'm…sorry I couldn't save you," his voice sounded pained. Like he truly WAS sorry.

She nodded, "Thank you for that. It doesn't make it better, but…thank you for saying it."

She closed her eyes. Her racing thoughts had died down, but her head hurt now. She listened as Bruce showed Xavier out.

He came and sat down on the couch, staring at his feet. She was sick and tired of the silent treatment. They needed to fix this so they could get back to being Bruce and Alice. All this drama was killing her.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on with you?" she asked bluntly.

Bruce was silent, still staring at his feet.

"Because you can keep giving me the silent treatment, or we can hash this out like adults."

"I'm sure you're tired, we should go to bed," he said tersely. He grabbed her hand and tugged on it impatiently. Like he was just going to herd her into the bedroom and be done with it.

"Can't wait to get rid of me, can you?" she snapped, pulling her hand back and standing alone.

Bruce sighed, "Alice…I'm trying to be civil. I'd love it if you could extend the same…"

"No," she said belligerently. "No. I'm not going to be civil. I'm going to be obnoxious and difficult until you tell me what's wrong with you."

"What's wrong with me?" Bruce laughed without humor. "I think YOU'D be better at explaining that than I'd be."

"There it is…" Alice said, crossing her arms.

He bit his lip, his brow furrowed. His nostrils flared as he undoubtedly argued internally about what his next move should be. The siphon was strong, but not debilitating.

"Yeah, THERE it is. You wanted to bring this up, you pushed and prodded and picked at me, and now…NOW, you're going to hear it," his voice grew louder the longer he talked.

Alice didn't like it when he yelled at her, but she was almost relieved. It was better than not talking at all.

"You…YOU TOLD ME that I was fine. That I was great. That there was nothing wrong. YOU LIED to me…" His brow was knitted, his voice was shaking.

Alice blinked and looked down.

"You think that I'm EMBARRASSED by you?" he asked, gesturing towards her.

_So he's been mulling over this for a while…_

"I—I…" Alice faltered, unsure of what to say.

"If you think that, then things can't possibly be as 'awesome' as you say," he said coldly.

"Bruce…" she felt tears welling up again. "I didn't want to keep bringing up the same things over and over again…you TOLD ME to move on. I hadn't, but I took that as a cue from you that you didn't want to hear about Thomas anymore."

"That wasn't a 'cue from me'," he said bitterly. "I just wanted you to move on, I didn't want…this…" he let his hands drop. He sat down on the couch. "I just feel so shitty and I feel like I let you down. I don't know why I'm mad at you, honestly. I think I'm just mad…I'm just so fucking MAD…" his hands gripped his hair roughly. He stood abruptly, swiftly kicking the couch. His foot hit with a sharp thud which scooted the couch back a few inches.

"Bruce…" Alice reached out for him, "I'm sorry I said anything…I shouldn't have…"

He pulled away from her "Shouldn't have WHAT? You are just going to carry all this around with you forever because I CAN'T HANDLE IT?" He swiped his arm across the table beside the couch, knocking the lamp against the wall.

"Stop it," Alice commanded, her voice not betraying how shaken up she was. "You can be mad, but you will NOT try to scare me, Bruce Banner."

"I'm not TRYING TO SCARE YOU!" He ran his hands roughly through his hair. The veins on his forehead bulged outward. "I can't help it. If I don't have the Other Guy, this is who I am. I'M the MONSTER, Alice! Get out now if you don't like it."

"I don't like it, Bruce, but I love you."

"WHY?"

"Because this isn't WHO YOU ARE. You have an anger problem, I get that, but it's NOT WHO YOU ARE!"

"It might as well be."

"Stop it," she said shortly. "Stop it. The anger I can deal with, this extreme pessimistic fatalism, I can't. All this is doing is making me not want to EVER confide my real feelings to you again. Because if THIS is how you react, then…I don't know what we're going to do. I have to be able to talk to you, Bruce. I just have to…" her voice broke on the last word. She gulped back tears and crossed her arms.

He turned and walked over to pick up the lamp off the floor. The base had shattered into a few pieces. His breath was heavy, he was obviously on the verge of tears as well.

She crossed over to him, kneeling down beside him to pick up some of the bigger pieces. "Apologize to me."

He took the lamp over to the trash can, "I've apologized, it doesn't help anything…it's just words." He punctuated the sentence by forcefully throwing the lamp in the can.

"You're being a baby," she stated bluntly. She raised her eyebrows. "There. Just words. Doesn't hurt anything."

Bruce set his jaw, looking up at her. "I'm sorry."

She looked at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry I was an asshole and that I didn't believe you. I'm sorry that I made you feel that lying about your emotions was easier than telling me the truth. I'm sorry that I was being a prick earlier when you were going through so much, and I'm really sorry that I yelled at you just now…" his tone became more and more calm the more he talked.

Alice handed him the remaining pieces to throw away.

"I forgive you, Bruce. And I am sorry that I lied to you. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what was bothering me. I'm sorry that I have broken that trust that we had. I really hope we can get it back."

"I forgive you…and I'm also sorry that I am not being there for you right now."

"There's still time for you to be there for me."

"After I sweep up the floor…I'm…so sorry I broke your lamp…" he closed his eyes momentarily before retrieving the broom from the closet.

"It's okay. It was ugly anyway," she smiled.

"It wasn't ugly…I never thought it was ugly…" he started sweeping up the fragments on the floor.

"You did too. Couldn't WAIT to off it."

He chuckled, "I'll buy you a new one."

She shrugged, "I can deal with darkness. Just means I won't have to clean as much."

"Seriously, I'm so sorry that I did that. I'm so ashamed of myself…I mean…I never…I would never hurt you, you know that, right?" he swept the floor furiously.

She moved behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head down on his back. He stopped sweeping, placing his hand over one of hers. "I have never EVER been scared that you'd hurt me," she whispered, pressing her face into his shirt. "I trust you completely."

He took a ragged breath and leaned the broom against the wall. He turned to embrace and kiss her. She responded enthusiastically to the kiss, moving her hands up his chest and around his neck. She pressed herself against him suggestively.

He pushed her away, breathing heavily. His hands gripping her shoulders tightly. "Alice…I don't think I can. I don't want to…not after…" he shook his head, grimacing as if he were in pain. "I'm sorry."

She nodded repeatedly, her face turning red, "Right…sorry, that's inappropriate of me…I don't know what I was thinking…"

"Alice…it's not that I don't want to…it's just…"

"I know. It's fine, I'm…really tired anyway…headache…maybe I'll just go take a bath." She was babbling, trying to make herself feel better. Maybe if she thought hard enough about it, she could will herself a headache so it wouldn't be a lie.

"Are you okay?" he asked tentatively, "it's really nothing you did, I just…"

"No," she said honestly. "I'm not okay. But…" she trailed off. She couldn't think of anything positive to say.

"I can draw your bath for you…"

"No, it's fine. I can do it," she backed away from him towards their bedroom door. She slunk into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, clicking the lock into place. Something she never did.

She wanted to be alone.

He knocked on the door once after she started running the bath, but she pretended not to hear it.

She slid into the tub, her mind now buzzing with a new set of thoughts.

_Maybe I'm just being a brat_

_But he's never rejected me before…usually that's all he wants to do after we fight. _

_Maybe he's still mad. _

_What's the point of a fight if you can't have makeup sex? _

_Am I really upset about no sex, or upset about being rejected? _

She knew the answer to that.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so Bruce was kind of a dick in this chapter. I apologize on his behalf, but he's going through a lot. Not an excuse, it's just how it kept happening when I wrote it. (And it's hard for me to write him like this, but he's not perfect. Far from it.) His anger problem is still there. And if anything, it's worse now that he doesn't have the other guy to fall back on. **

**That's not to say that Alice is faultless here. Totally not saying that. **

**And Alice...that memory was a doozie. It actually won't be revealed until the third installment of this series. So, don't forget about it. It's...just...I can't even tell you anything about it because spoilers, sweetie. **

**I know I said this would have 19 chapters, but it looks like I might have to make it an even 20. Hope that's okay. ;) I just have this one chapter where a LOT of stuff happens, so I thought I'd shorten it up by splitting it up over two chapters. **

**Anywho, expect the next chapter whenever, because I apparently have no self control about this, haha. **

**The next chapter will have our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. :D **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston.**

**Please R&R!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Stubborn Love' by the Lumineers. Warnings include language and angst.**

**Also a teeny bit nervous about my portrayal of Peter Parker. I have NOT seen the Amazing Spiderman movies. *GASP* And he's NOT one of my favorites. My kids watch Ultimate Spider Man, so I might overhear it while I'm cooking dinner or something. I've seen the Tobey Maguire films, but I didn't like them so I didn't use them as inspiration for this. This Peter Parker is mostly comic-verse, a little bit of the Ultimate-verse, and a little bit of my own 'spin'...pun intended. ;) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Bruce**

"Okay, so just stick to the answers we rehearsed, Dr. Banner."

Bruce nodded, looking down at the sheet of questions and "approved" answers Jules had just handed him. The whole thought of a staged interview would have been completely repulsive to him, but he was actually relieved in this case.

He and Alice had been distant for the past week and the last thing either of them needed was to make passive aggressive comments to a reporter. A reporter who would probably pick right up on the tension and write some stupid story about how their relationship was on the brink of collapse and that everyone should batten down the hatches because a sexually frustrated Hulk was bound to burst in on their family dinner.

He missed living in Calcutta. He missed the anonymity of being on the run.

He really thought the thing he and Alice needed most was time alone. On their own. Away from anyone. And that was the first thing he wanted to do after they figured out this whole business with her 'Other Self'.

Between that and the Thomas situation, Bruce was having a difficult time relating to Alice in the same way. He was trying to keep himself from resorting to sex as a band-aid. He was worried about exposing her to too much gamma energy at once. Not that sex necessarily exposed her to as much as if she was trying to calm him down when he was angry, but it was still a lot. Not to mention, they'd been using it like a panacea in their relationship. He was aware of it; he knew Alice was aware of it. They needed to talk. Especially about Thomas. But Bruce didn't know how to broach the topic.

_Oh, hey Alice, remember when Thomas teleported into your hospital room and out again last fall? Yeah, and I didn't believe you? I practically called you crazy and said you just needed to 'get over it'? Yeah…let's talk about that. About how it made you feel and about how I was a fucking jerk about it and how I'm too much of a coward to even bring it up? And how I'm mad at YOU because you're so fucking perfect and wonderful and you aren't even THINKING of bringing it up to me? How you're forcing ME to talk to YOU about it._

"Dr. Banner?" Jules' tone was incessant.

"Hmm?" he looked up.

"Are you here with me? You look like you could be somewhere else," she teased.

"I'm sorry…what did you ask me?"

"I asked if Alice was going to be on time."

"Oh…I suppose she will be. She's training with Logan this morning."

"Do you mind giving her a call and making sure she'll be ready?" She turned to leave.

"Wait, Jules…who is the reporter who will be interviewing us?" he asked. He had actually asked this question a few times, only for it to be glossed over and his attention called to something else.

Jules looked down at her phone and mumbled something.

"Pardon me?"

She mumbled again, but Bruce distinctly heard the name 'Parker'.

A wave of disappointment washed over him. "No, not him, Jules…"

She shrugged, "That's who they are sending. That's who ALWAYS works with us."

"Well…can't you ask for someone else?"

"Peter's the best…for our situation. He's more accepting of our terms because we have dirt on him. You understand, right? Any other reporter wouldn't think twice about snooping around and blabbing your secrets all over the front page. Peter won't because he's Spiderman and he doesn't want anyone to know."

Bruce sighed, "Fine." He still had a weird feeling about this, but he had too many other things on his mind to argue about it.

"Don't forget to call Alice," Jules reminded him as she left the apartment, likely going out to make sure the common area was well lit and ready for the interview.

He pulled out his phone and called Alice. He felt like he was on auto pilot.

"Hello?" her voice sounded tired.

"Alice…Jules asked me to call and make sure you knew what time the interview was."

"I'm in the shower right now. I'll be up in a few to get ready." Bruce registered the sound of running water in the background.

"Okay…that's…good. That's good."

"Yeah, I guess."

She was silent. He was silent. The silence itself was oppressive. A wall between them. He didn't like it.

"I love you," he whispered.

She didn't speak for a moment.

"I love you too," her voice sounded small. Far away.

They ended the call and he set his phone on the counter, feeling tears well in his eyes. But he couldn't cry. Not right now. Not when he wasn't sure he could stop.

* * *

**Alice**

She felt the hot water hit her back, but there was no warmth in her entire body.

His voice had sounded strange. She wished he'd just come out with it and talk to her. While she was wishing, she wished she was strong enough to bring it up to him. To tell him how hurt she felt and how empty she felt inside. How the knowledge that Thomas actually had been there in the hospital room with her months before AND in the training room with her last week had actually pushed her precariously close to the breaking point.

It didn't matter how much he apologized, things weren't the same between them anymore and they both knew it. There was something missing now. There was something else she needed, but she didn't know how to ask for it. Because she didn't really know what it was to begin with.

She finished her shower, dried off and dressed. She didn't usually shower at the gym, but she was in no hurry to be alone with Bruce. The silence that engulfed them lately was overwhelming. It was suffocating. Even when they talked, the threat of the SILENCE loomed over them like a dark storm cloud.

She made her way back up to the apartment. She decided to French braid her hair in lieu of drying and styling it. There was something sophisticated about her when she braided her hair. At least, she thought there was. She could be wrong.

She entered the apartment, expecting to see him reading or working on his laptop. She was surprised to see him standing by the fridge, putting away the groceries that must have just been delivered.

"I was going to be home in time to do that," she assured him. She didn't know why she felt the need to explain herself.

"I don't mind, Alice. I wish you'd let me help you more," he said, closing the fridge door.

He was being so damn helpful lately. So damn nice and so DAMN helpful. It was like he was scared of her or something.

_Putting the groceries away doesn't make up for 3 months of being a dick._

She bit her tongue so she wouldn't say it out loud. He was trying. In this small way, he was trying. She was still so angry.

She really didn't know WHO she was angrier at, Bruce, Thomas or herself.

"I thought I could do this so you can get ready for the interview…" he said, pulling two boxes of cereal out of the cloth grocery bags and placing them on the top of the fridge.

"Those don't go there," she snapped, storming over to where he was to stand on her tiptoes. She tried in vain to reach them.

"Sorry, I just thought that's where cereal goes…"

"Not when your girlfriend's short as hell and can't reach the top of the fridge…" she hopped slightly to try to reach them, but he pulled them back down.

"Sorry…I didn't think about that…"

"Just…stop it, Bruce. Just stop. Put away the perishables and I'll do the rest. You're just making MORE work for me because you don't know where anything goes."

She could feel the bite in her words as they left her mouth. She wished she could gather them back up and not say them.

He physically deflated, "Alice, I'm sorry. I really am."

She glanced over at him. His face looked worried, desperate, and sad.

"It's just cereal. Honest mistake," she mumbled, knowing full well that wasn't what he was apologizing for. "I'M sorry, I over reacted."

He leaned over to kiss her, taking the boxes out of her hands and setting them on the counter. "Just…talk to me. Please. Tell me what you want me to do."

Again, he was referring to something that hadn't been spoken aloud.

"Just…don't put anything on top of the fridge. I'm too short to reach it," she leaned up to peck his mouth, but lingered longer than she thought she would.

He kissed her deeply, longingly, tenderly. "I just want to make sure that we're going to be okay…are we?"

"We are," she said without hesitation. "I just need time."

_Time. That felt nice to say. Time. All wounds heal over time. That's what her Grams told her when she broke her thumb in a bike accident. In 2 days' time, in 2 months' time, in 2 years' time, this wound won't be as painful. It might still hurt and there will be a scar, but it won't hurt as much. _

He nodded, pressing his lips together. "I understand."

She felt the corners of her mouth pull upward. It felt strange. She hadn't been smiling much lately.

"I know you do," she said quietly.

She went back to the bedroom to change into the outfit she'd picked for the interview. She started to pull on the tights only to notice a tiny rip in the shin.

She swore under her breath and crossed over to the dresser to find another pair.

Bruce knocked quietly on the door as he opened it. "Hey love, where do you keep the bananas?"

"In the basket hanging over the sink…" she turned to see him gawking at her. "What?"

He frowned, looking up at her, "What happened to you?"

She looked down at herself. Her legs had nasty looking purple bruises on them. Her arms and ribs too. All thanks to training with Logan and his adamantium skeleton.

"Training," she said. "Sorry, I'm used to it...they've been there a while, is this the first you're seeing them?"

Bruce nodded slowly. "Did Logan do this to you?"

"Yes. He's training me," she repeated. "It happens. It's not like he's beating me up or anything."

"That's exactly what he's doing," Bruce's voice had an edge to it.

"Bruce…" she started, sitting to pull on the black stockings. "Don't get mad. This isn't that—"

"I'm going to talk to him."

_I'm sure that will be a long verbose discussion, where you will each talk about your feelings. Sure. _

"You'll do no such thing. I'm learning a lot from him."

"Learning what? First aid skills?"

Alice sighed deeply, her nostrils flaring. "No. I'm learning different fighting styles. I'm learning how to defend myself. If I were in a real fight, do you think the other person would take it easy on me? Every one of these bruises is my fault. It's because I'm bad at blocking. I'm getting better, though."

Bruce crossed over to where she was sitting and sat down beside her on the bed. He lightly brushed his hand over one of the bruises on her thigh. His skin felt warm against hers.

"I don't like to see you hurt. If I could…I'd just protect you from all of this. I wish we were normal and we could just have a normal life."

"I know. I wish that sometimes too. But then I remember that we probably would never have met if it weren't for our abnormal lives."

"We would have," Bruce said. "I can't imagine living my life without you in it."

_If things were different, you probably wouldn't have given me a second look…_

Alice leaned over to kiss him. "I love you," she mumbled against his lips.

"I love you too," he whispered, sliding his hand back around into her hair.

"Bananas," she said abruptly.

"Come again?"

"You asked where I keep the bananas…in the basket over the sink. Are you dressed for the interview?"

Bruce looked down at his shirt. "Yes, is there something wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"No, I'm just trying to subtly hint that I am not dressed for the interview…although I'm sure this would make for a very provocative newspaper photo…" she gestured to the purple lace bra and panties she was wearing. She cocked an eyebrow.

Bruce grinned, "Only for me…if you don't mind."

"Not at all, you're the only one who's ever going to see these fancy duds."

"I get it. I'll let you get ready… I think we have 30 minutes before we have to be there."

He stood and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Alice finished getting ready and braided her hair, letting it fall over one shoulder.

* * *

They entered the common room to see lights set up for the "candid" photo shoot that would be taking place while they were interviewed. Jules was pointing at something and talking animatedly to the photographer. Alice could just make out the words.

"She's pale. Yes PALE. This light is going to wash her out, put some yellow gels in it or something. Make it warmer."

Alice chuckled softly.

Jules said the photographer was theirs. On retainer. He was apparently SHIELD certified for classified information, so it was okay that he was here in Avengers Tower. Alice found it slightly hilarious that SHIELD employed freelance photographers.

She looked up at Bruce to see him staring intently at something. Or someone. She followed his gaze, stopping on Tony, who was busy dangling a fake spider on a string over the left shoulder of a very perturbed, very gangly looking young man. He looked even younger than Alice. Bruce wasn't scared or angry, just perturbed. She kind of liked that she could tell how he was feeling based on how the energy felt when she siphoned it.

The young man, who she assumed was the reporter, had brown hair that stuck out in all directions. He wore dark rimmed glasses and his clothing was borderline unprofessional. But, she didn't really know how reporters dressed nowadays. He had on a blue and white plaid shirt with brown chinos. Everything was wrinkly, much like Bruce's clothing before she started pressing it all crisp and wrinkle free.

He was tall. Taller than Tony at any rate.

"Whoa, better watch out, Parker. This guy wants his powers back!" Tony laughed and jerked the toy spider away before the spindly kid (If he was younger than her, he was a kid) could grab it.

"Tony, leave Peter alone," Jules called from across the room.

"Please," said 'Peter', "It's not funny…"

"Calm down, Spidey. Anyone with access to this floor already knows who you are."

"Not all of us want to come out of the superhero closet, STARK," Pete spat, swatting the spider out of Tony's hand and across the room.

"Geez, really, man? I was going to scare Pepper with that later," Tony turned and walked in the direction the spider flew.

Alice's brow furrowed. _Spidey? Parker? Peter Parker. Oh my gosh._

"Whoa, you're Spiderman?" she exclaimed, amazed she hadn't put two and two together before. That would explain Bruce's annoyed mood. He couldn't stand the "little shit" as he so affectionately referred to him.

Peter's eyes widened, he looked surprised both to see her there and at her outburst.

He held out his hand, "Peter Parker, actually. You must be Alice Vorso."

She blushed, "Yes. I'm sorry, that was rude, I don't know what…" she stepped forward at the same time he did. She scraped her fingernails against his watch and felt something smack her in the hand.

"Ouch…" she pulled her hand back to see a white stringy substance stuck fast to her arm. She tried to wipe it off only to wince as it pulled at the hair on her forearm.

"I am SO SORRY!" Peter apologized loudly and often, searching in his pocket for a handkerchief.

Tony was snickering. Bruce was fighting it, looking down at the floor. His shaking shoulders gave him away, though.

"Uh…" Alice frowned and looked at Jules.

Bruce snorted loudly, turning his back to the display before him.

The handkerchief was not helping, if anything, it was just spreading the mess around.

Alice looked over at Jules, a horrified expression on her face.

"What? IS THIS?" she asked, looking from Pete to Bruce to Tony.

"You…uh…triggered my web blaster," he lifted his sleeve to reveal a small watch like apparatus.

"Why do you even have your web blasters on when you're not suited up?" Tony snickered.

Peter turned to address Tony, "Thought I might be the victim of a practical joke, so I wore them."

"How do I get it off?" She shook her hand, the sticky glob stayed put.

"Looks like you already did," Bruce ventured. His tone implied something a bit less innocent than not.

Tony burst into peals of laughter, holding his side and bending slightly.

"Not funny, Bruce," Alice glared at him.

He chuckled, "I have a solvent that will take care of that. I think there's some down in the lab. I'll go down and get it."

He stopped and turned back before he left. "Peter Parker, Dr. Bruce Banner. Thank you for that. We needed a good laugh."

Peter shook his hand but stared after him, obviously confused.

Alice smirked to herself. Even if the laughing WAS at someone else's expense, it did make her feel a little better. Leave it to her to clumsily introduce herself to every superhero in New York.

He was back in record time, but it still felt like forever. Standing there with sticky white spider web stuck to her hand while Tony tried to make small talk was awkward. And Peter had to stop the photographer from taking a picture on at least 4 separate occasions.

Bruce returned and sprayed her hand with something that looked like orange Windex.

"Now wait 10 seconds and it will wipe right off."

She counted down in her head and he wiped her hand, the web came off easily, now the consistency of whipped cream.

"What is that?" asked Alice, staring at her hand.

"A solvent Nick Fury asked me to make. To clean Spiderman's web blasts from the buildings in NYC without damaging the structural integrity. He makes such a huge mess when he helps anyone."

Peter was making a big show of pretending not to hear them.

Alice smiled widely. "You are amazing, do you know that?"

"Technically, I'm incredible."

"Whatever. I love you."

"I love you."

Parker cleared his throat politely. "Should we sit over here?" he gestured to the chairs Jules had set up. "I usually take my own pictures…but…Jules insisted that we use your guy."

Alice couldn't tell if he was apologetic or perturbed.

Tony stood back with Jules while the photographer positioned them where he wanted them on the couch. Bruce's arm around her shoulders, one of her hands clasping his other hand, the other on his knee.

He felt tense. Uncomfortable. His arm was stiff around her, his hand clammy and limp. She quickly siphoned some of the excess gamma he was creating. He jumped slightly, turning towards her.

"Thanks…"

"No problem."

He squeezed her hand tightly and settled himself. Their posture became more natural and comfortable.

The photographer adjusted the lighting.

"Are you ready to begin?" Peter asked them, looking back and forth between them.

Bruce nodded once, tersely.

Peter turned on the recorder and opened the notebook. "Dr. Banner, Ms. Vorso, the question on everyone's mind is, how did you meet?" He smiled, close-lipped. It didn't reach his eyes. Alice could tell that this interview didn't interest him in the least.

Alice glanced over at Bruce, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

She looked back at Peter. "Well, we met here, actually. But down in the lab."

Bruce interjected, "Part of her job was to bring my meals down for me 3 times a day, and she was bringing my evening meal down at the time. I'd missed her for the first two…"

"He was busy," added Alice.

Bruce smiled at her; this was all part of how they'd rehearsed it. "Anyway, she dropped off my evening meal, and she turned to leave, and her shoe caught on something on the floor. She fell, but I was nearby, so I caught her."

Alice beamed, hiding her mouth behind her hand. The camera began clicking. "Nearby? He overturned his desk chair to catch me."

Peter half-smiled, writing down a couple of notes.

They hadn't told the real way they'd met, because it wasn't 'romantic enough', according to Jules. Alice had to agree. Anytime they could take her annoying habits and make them cute, she was up for it.

Bruce of course, thought the whole thing was stupid. But, that wasn't anything new.

"The important thing was, I caught you," Bruce smiled crookedly at her. Okay, that was his real smile. So he was having fun now. Good.

Peter continued, "What was the one thing that made each of you realize you wanted to be together?"

Alice cut a sideways glance to Bruce. He'd had a difficult time with this question.

_"So, I'm supposed to list the undefinable qualities about Alice that make me love her?" _

Jules had gotten so frustrated with him.

_"This shouldn't be hard for you! You DO ACTUALLY love her, right?"_

_ "Of COURSE I do!" _

The memory made her feel a bit queasy, so she pushed the thought away before it showed on her face.

"I'd have to say it was the way he listened to me when I talked. I can't imagine there's very much I say that he should find interesting, but he does."

"You're very interesting to me," he squeezed her hand again.

She smiled thinly. Something else they'd rehearsed. She was already tired of this interview and there were still 6 more questions.

"I think for me, it was Alice's ability to accept me as I am. That's a big deal with me, as most everyone knows," said Bruce.

"That brings me to my next question, which is for Alice," said Peter. "Is it hard being the Hulk's girlfriend?"

Alice laughed dryly. "I'm not the Hulk's girlfriend. I'm Bruce Banner's girlfriend." She looked over at him and squeezed his hand. The corners of his mouth pulled up slightly.

"Aren't they one and the same?" asked Peter.

"No. The Other Guy is a part of Bruce, sure. But he's not Bruce. Bruce is…much different," she looked down at her lap before looking back up again. "They are completely different entities."

"Do you get along with 'the Other Guy'?"

Alice chuckled, "We tolerate each other."

"You seemed to more than tolerate each other at Jean Georges 2 weeks ago."

Not something she'd been prepared to talk about. She felt the smile fall from her face momentarily. She glanced up towards Jules and Tony. Jules looked a little disconcerted and Tony looked more than a little bit angry.

"I mean, you don't deny that you and the Hulk were spotted at Jean Georges 2 weeks ago, Ms. Vorso?"

"No, I don't deny it."

"So you'll answer my questions about the events that transpired that day? I think the people deserve to know more than you deserve your privacy," he smirked.

Bruce's hand tightened around hers. He let off a staggering wave of gamma.

She stroked the back of his hand before sitting forward. "What do you want to know, MR. Parker?" she asked, hitting each syllable of his name.

Parker's eyes widened excitedly. She suddenly was seeing the little shit that Bruce couldn't stand.

"Is it true that you, Ms. Vorso, are a mutant?"

Bruce's hand tightened around hers more. Jules' eyes widened, but Tony's narrowed. Alice didn't understand the reason why. There was nothing to hide.

"Where did you hear that?" Bruce ground out suddenly, startling Peter.

"I have my sources…" he said nervously.

"WHAT sources?"

"My sources are entitled to their privacy—"

"And we aren't?"

Peter faltered, "You're public servants…"

"So are you. By your rule, you're not entitled to your privacy either."

"I don't want the fame and—"

"And you think we do?" Bruce gestured between Alice and himself. "You think we want this? I think YOU of all people should understand—"

Parker shifted uncomfortably, breaking his gaze with Bruce. He wasn't able to maintain eye contact. "Look…Dr. Banner…my boss told me to ask these questions…"

"Right, I didn't notice your boss here holding a gun to your head," Tony said facetiously. "Just tell him you couldn't get the answers."

Peter looked around nervously, "He…he promised me a promotion. OFF the social page and onto more hard-hitting stories."

"Right. So that's what we are? Something to exploit for your own gain?"

"You should be used to it. You work for SHIELD."

Bruce didn't speak. Alice knew he couldn't refute that.

She'd been silent this whole time, Bruce was speechless. It was time for her to speak up.

"I'll answer your questions, Peter. And you'll get your promotion. But let me make a counter offer…" she eyed Jules. PR might not have been her favorite thing, but she had been good at it.

Peter raised his eyebrows. She had his attention.

"If I answer your questions…you have to print it in a positive light. And from now on, you print positive stories about the Avengers. They're trying to keep the earth safe. Trying to keep the people safe. Stop it with the yellow journalism to sell papers. Cover Steve Rogers speaking with the elderly at the city's government run nursing homes. Cover Thor doing rounds at the children's hospital. Cover Tony's green initiative and Natasha Romanov's work for the battered women's shelter. Cover the good stuff. I know it doesn't sell as many papers, but with all the shit in the news lately, we could use something good. Make the Avengers into something good."

"You'll answer my questions?" he asked.

Alice looked over at Jules, who gave her a thumbs up. She was on the phone, presumably with the legal department.

"Yes," she said.

Bruce looked alarmed. "You can't ask her if she's a mutant."

"The people deserve to know! How else are we going to explain how she controls the Hulk?"

"I don't—"

Peter shushed her, "You do. If you want people to take this news in a positive light, you do."

"But that's not—"

"The average person isn't going to read a story about how you and the Hulk have an 'understanding'. An understanding doesn't help them sleep better. What helps them sleep better is the knowledge that he is under control."

"If you leak that she's a mutant, she is going to be ostracized. The general consensus on mutants is negative right now," Bruce protested.

"Look. The general populace isn't going to care WHAT she is, if she controls the Hulk, she's good people."

Bruce set his jaw.

"I'm not ashamed of it, Bruce. You shouldn't be either," Alice said quietly.

"I'm not ashamed of you! I am just trying to protect you. There are people out there, NASTY PEOPLE, Alice. People who will judge you simply because…"

"Bruce. People are going to judge others no matter what. If it's not because I'm a mutant, it will be because I am a woman. Or because I'm a dumb hick. Or because I have red hair," she shrugged. "If it's not one thing, it's another and you can't win for losing with these people."

Peter nodded, "She's right. People are fickle. Never let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Yada yada yada, cliché comment."

Bruce sighed and shook his head. "Fine. But if she comes to harm because of this…I know where you sleep, Parker," his tone turned dark. "And I know what to do with a body."

Peter straightened his posture nervously. He began to ask the hard questions. About her background, about her mutation, about her powers. She explained the best she could, with Bruce and Tony filling in little bits here and there.

He left soon after and Alice couldn't decide what she thought of him. He was obnoxious for sure. Annoying to the nth degree. But he was also driven, ambitious, he had goals outside of becoming a super hero. That was admirable. Even if he was a greasy little slime ball.

"SHIELD is going to be pissed, guys," Tony said, leaning against the door frame and shaking his head.

"I know," said Alice.

"I mean…really pissed. They worked really hard to cover up that whole 'incident' at Jean Georges," Tony reiterated.

"Not hard enough, apparently," said Bruce.

"Still…I wouldn't be surprised if we weren't called into an emergency 'meeting' tomorrow."

Alice shrugged and laid her head down on Bruce's shoulder.

"By meeting, of course, I mean sitting perfectly still while Nick Fury yells in your face. Are you prepared to deal with that, Alice?"

"I'll be fine."

Tony looked skeptical.

"I'm going to go make supper," she said, effectively ending the conversation. She rose, followed by Bruce.

"What are we having?" he asked as they walked down the hall to their apartment.

"I am having a chicken salad. You can have whatever you want."

"Are you mad at me?" he asked cautiously.

"No. I just don't feel like trying to solve the puzzle that is vegetarian cooking tonight. I'll work on it later."

"I can cook, you know. I could make you something."

"Make me a chicken salad."

He sighed and smiled. "Sure."

"Thanks," she said, curling up on their couch.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so I hope you liked it! I was nervous about Spidey (see note at the top of the chapter). I know his web blasters are usually attached to his suit, but I couldn't resist. I thought this was funny. I hope it was, anyway.  
**

**(Also, Bruce's little retort "I think you already did" in response to Alice's "How do I get it off?" ... Cheeky, Banner.) **

**Also ALSO, after a fair amount of angst, it looks like Bruce and Alice are starting to get to the place where they can start working things out. I hope. For now. I'm evil. **

**Anyway, if you haven't already, check out my one shot, 'Count on me like 1,2,3' that I posted in my 'Silver Linings' story (which is my one-shot/drabble/prompt compilation story on here).**

**EDIT: I want to add that Peter is just a cameo. He's not joining the team or anything, so don't worry, you won't have to keep up with his scrawny butt on top of everything else. :P**

**As always, I don't own any part of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston. **

**Please R&R!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Something's Always Wrong' by Toad the Wet Sprocket. Warnings: Language.**

* * *

**Bruce**

Bruce was lying in bed. The sheets were tangled around him. So was Alice. Her wet hair was sticking to his arms and chest. He sighed, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"That was…unexpected," she giggled.

"I don't know why. You should know by now that you can't parade through here naked without some sort of reaction from me."

She giggled again. He loved the sound.

"I thought you had 'important things to attend to at the lab today'," she imitated his voice.

"I had a much more pressing matter here," he quipped, turning towards her so he could smell her hair.

"It certainly was pressing," she teased.

"Mmm. Double entendre."

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before sitting up.

"Don't leave. Let's just play hooky today," he suggested.

"You have experiments to attend to and I have a training session with Logan, Steve and Nat."

"Nat? Is she letting you call her that now?"

"Yeah, she asked me to."

"Wow, you must be her best friend. She doesn't let anyone call her that, save Clint and Steve."

"Well, I'm honored…I think," she arched her back and stretched, her arms reaching up towards the ceiling.

Bruce gazed at her for a moment. "Stay here," he reiterated.

She pursed her lips in thought, her arms dropping to her lap. "Half day?" she asked.

"Deal. Meet me for lunch, we can go out or something."

"Out? My, my, I'll have to put my teeth in," she quipped in an over-exaggerated version of her southern accent.

"You're so charming. It's a wonder I don't take you out in public more often," he teased.

"Ooo, can we eat al fresco?" she asked, deftly ignoring his jab.

"I don't know. What did Al Fresco do to you?" he asked.

She smirked, "Ha ha, that made me laugh so hard, I fell off my dinosaur."

He chuckled, sitting up and stretching his back. "We'll go wherever you want, love."

"Really?" she leaned towards him and kissed him on the lips. "You spoil me."

"I don't. I should. But, I don't."

"You do too."

She stood and crossed the room into the bathroom. Bruce heard the water running. He busied himself by straightening the sheets and comforter on the bed. He knew he'd been trying to cool it on the sexy times, but he hadn't seen much of her lately...Between her meetings with Dr. Xavier to try and get her Other Self under control, and her training sessions with Logan, he'd barely seen her over the past week.

She came out from the bathroom, this time wearing her bathrobe.

"Doesn't hide anything," he teased.

She crinkled her nose in mock disgust before walking over to her dresser to get dressed.

Bruce needed a shower, so he went into the bathroom to take a quick one. When he was finished, he wrapped a towel around his hips and came out into the bedroom again.

Alice had finished dressing. She was wearing a black and white striped sports bra and a pair of stretchy shorts that clung to her thighs. She sat at her vanity, braiding her hair.

"Are you wearing a shirt?"

"Other than this one? No."

_That's not a shirt._

He nodded, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"It's something. You've got that scared squirrel look."

"I just..." he stopped. He shouldn't say it. It'd ruin the perfect morning. "I just think you should wear something over that."

"Okay, thanks for your input, but tank tops get in my way while I'm sparring."

_She didn't explode. Good sign. Still, though…_

He sighed, "Okay. You look great, by the way."

"Thank you for your lukewarm sentiment. There is no need to pout. I think I'm thoroughly satisfied, I won't be cruising for tail anytime soon."

He snorted in surprised laughter. "I love you."

It was true. He loved her more than anything.

She grinned, "Love you, too." She stood up and walked over to the closet to grab a pair of sneakers.

"You do look great, though."

She did. She was so amazing.

She smiled at him from the floor. She looked so young and beautiful. She never wore make up to the gym, so her freckles stood out. Her dark green eyes were striking against her pale skin.

_If she ever realizes how gorgeous she is, I'm in big trouble. What is she doing with a crusty old scientist like me?_

"What are you thinking about?"

He blushed. "I'm wondering what a pretty young thing like you is doing with an old fart like me."

She laughed, "You're not old."

"I'm 12 years older than you."

"Still not old. You're not even 40 yet."

"Ugh, don't remind me."

"Well, when you're 80, I'll be 68, and it won't seem like such a huge difference."

"You'll still be with me when you're 68?"

"Sure. You can't get rid of me now, you're stuck with me."

"Darn. Trapped," he grinned, helping her stand. He pulled her close for a moment. He slid one hand up between her shoulder blades and pressed on her lower back with the other. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers firmly. He felt her knees buckle, but he held her up.

She whimpered quietly. He ended the kiss but still held onto her.

"Wow."

He smiled sheepishly, "What?"

"Just…wow."

"I just wanted to make sure you were satisfied before you left."

"Completely. Until this afternoon." She reached around and squeezed his rear playfully.

He smiled and released her.

"Or, you just turned me on and are now sending me off to grapple with Captain America and Wolverine," she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

He reached out and swatted her behind. She squealed and jumped away from him, adopting a defensive, yet playful stance.

"I can't grapple with you, you'd destroy me," he admitted.

"You should train with us sometime."

"Maybe."

"C'mon, it'd be fun. Plus, I know you do yoga."

"I do not."

"You must. There is no way you're as flexible as you are naturally."

He blushed. He did do yoga, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. The reason he'd started was to help control his anger. The reason he still continued was so his creaky body could keep up with Alice's spry and agile one.

The Other Guy was the one with all the stamina. Bruce himself had to train and condition.

"What about your…"she paused dramatically, waving her hands from side to side, "Capoeira?"

He chuckled, "Found out about that, did you?"

"Tony told me about the stomach thing…that's weird…I wanna see!"

She was referring to the breathing exercises he used to do in order to calm down.

"Well, I haven't had a need for it since I met you."

"I want to learn, though. Will you teach me?"

"How many of the martial arts would you like to learn?"

"As many as I can."

"If you want, I can teach you. I just…need to get in shape again."

"We can go running this afternoon if you want. Steve and I were supposed to go, but I was going to cancel."

"I don't know…I'd rather not embarrass myself in front of you if it's all the same."

"I'll go slow…just like this morning…" she bumped his shoulder.

"Keep it up, I won't let you leave," he warned playfully, pulling her close.

"I need to get going," she said, almost begrudgingly. She didn't try to pull out of his embrace.

"Just stay here. Beg out. Say you're sick."

"I don't get sick."

"Oh…right."

"Yeah. It sucks having super abilities." She pressed a kiss to his cheek and turned to leave. He walked her to the door. He was still wearing a towel, so he didn't follow her to the elevator. He'd never hear the end of it.

"Bye, see you soon!" she walked down the hall. He watched her until she disappeared around the corner.

This whole morning was reminiscent of the day Betty came back into his life. He tried to shake the feeling of dread that he felt.

Maybe he could just stay here. Wait until Alice was finished, and then they could leave. They could go out to lunch, come back here and hole up until someone needed them. Or they could just leave. Pack a bag and leave.

He shook his head. No, no. He was just feeling a sort of déjà vu feeling because of the similarities between that morning and this one.

He did however pull out his phone to text her. Something he never did.

_"Miss you already." _

A message came back almost immediately. She must still be on the elevator. _ "Aww. Miss you too." _

He smiled. They would be okay. They would be.

He finished getting ready and headed down to the lab.

He half expected there to be some issue or problem waiting when he got there, but there wasn't. He checked on a few of his experiments, but he mostly watched the clock.

He laughed at Tony's jokes, he double checked some math for Jane, he even wrote a mod for Darcy's Starkphone so she could play Temple Run.

The clock on the wall said 10:30 and he was about to just call it quits for the day and go home to do a couple of loads of laundry or clean something so Alice didn't have to.

"Mr. Stark, there is an unauthorized entry taking place," JARVIS said.

Bruce felt a knot begin to form in his stomach.

"What the hell?" Tony pulled out his laptop.

Bruce groaned inwardly. He should have just left when he had the chance.

"I can't do anything…I can't see anything…" Tony typed commands furiously.

Bruce frowned, looking over his shoulder. None of his commands were working. Something must have overridden JARVIS.

_For an un-hackable system, it certainly gets hacked a lot. _

"JARVIS, where are they? WHO are they?" Tony demanded.

Jane and Darcy looked up over their partition. Darcy pulled her earplugs out of her ears.

The door to the lab buzzed as it opened.

A few military officers in formal uniforms filed into the lab, followed by an older man. One Bruce knew very well.

Tony stood, walking around the counter to lean against it.

"General Ross," Tony addressed the older man, "to what do we owe the distinct pleasure of your intrusion?

"It's no intrusion, Stark, not when you are harboring something of mine," he looked at Bruce.

Bruce raised his eyebrows, "You can't own what you didn't create."

"I paid for its creation."

"No, I believe the American taxpayers paid for it," Bruce crossed his arms.

Ross chuckled without humor, the way he did. "How have you been, Dr. Banner?"

_ Oh, I'm a doctor now? He must want something._

"I'm sure you already know or you wouldn't be here."

_You fucking bastard,_ he added internally.

"I need a favor," he said.

Bruce laughed dryly, "How about that?"

"I want to talk to Alice Vorso."

"No," Bruce said authoritatively.

_Fuck. NO._

The knot tightened. Bruce felt panic begin to set in. He schooled his features. He couldn't show weakness.

"Banner, we really should bury the hatchet."

"Absolutely not," said Bruce.

"Damn right, he LOVES his hatchet," said Tony.

_Thanks, Tony. Shut up._

"I heard Betty was here."

_Ah…there we go._

"Don't sound so surprised. YOU sent her."

Ross looked over his shoulder at the man standing next to him. He nodded slightly and the other men filed out of the lab. He looked expectantly at Bruce.

He turned over his shoulder and called into the back of the lab, "Jane, Darcy, you both should leave now."

He heard some furious shuffling as they grabbed their things and scurried out.

Ross eyed Tony distrustfully.

"He stays," said Bruce.

Ross sighed and turned back towards Bruce. "Actually, I haven't spoken to Betty since she got married. Any reason she was here was hers alone."

Bruce was surprised, but he didn't put it past Ross to lie.

"Really? You didn't send her up here to be your little snoop? To find out what Alice does? To figure out if you want to 'own' her too?"

"Technically, Alice Vorso is the product of a government experiment, so she DOES belong to the government. However, I understand she's a SHIELD consultant like yourself, so there won't be any need for me to worry about her. Correct?"

Bruce faltered slightly. This was the first he'd heard of Alice working for SHIELD. A quick glance in Tony's direction told him that this was a surprise to him as well.

"Correct," he replied.

Ross nodded curtly, "Fury assured me that she's not dangerous and that she's actually keeping YOU under control as well."

_He IS keeping tabs on Alice. _

"So Betty was here to glean information about us? She said it was for a dissertation, so she could get published."

Ross pressed his lips into a thin line. "You and I both know that Betty wouldn't do that to you. Even if you have moved on…"

"I don't know Betty as well as you seem to think I do."

"You know her better than anyone else I know."

"Maybe once, a long time ago, I knew Betty Ross. Now, she's Dr. Talbot. And she'll do anything for a little notoriety."

"Talbot…" Ross shook his head. "Talbot's the problem. Mark my words. He's the reason she did what she did."

"Can't you ever stop and think that perhaps Betty is more than who she's romantically involved with? Maybe she's just had this…thirst for fame her entire life and couldn't do anything about it until she got out from under YOUR thumb."

Even though Bruce wasn't WITH Betty anymore, it still irked him how quick Ross was to blame whoever Betty was with for her 'bad behavior'. But, he supposed a parent never wanted to blame their own child.

"She was content to waste away in that lab at Culver after you left us in New York. She was teaching her students, she was 'sculpting the next generation'. I was worried because she didn't have any friends, no social life to speak of. I know we didn't get along, but I didn't want that life for my little girl. I was mad at you, because I thought you broke her. I introduced her to Talbot…he was an officer, handsome, young, charming. I thought if nothing else, she'd find herself again," he paused, sighing heavily. "She quit her job at the University. Started doing a lecture circuit, speaking about mutants. She stole a lot of Dr. Leonard Samson's unpublished work. Got famous off information she didn't work for. Nobody knew, though. Then, Talbot got transferred off my base. And that's the last I heard from her."

"Where'd he get transferred?" asked Tony.

"I believe too General Ryker's base."

It got so quiet in the room, all Bruce could hear was the blood rushing in his head. He felt guilty for practically pushing Betty into the arms of whatever manipulative bastard her father suggested for her, but at the same time, it gave him some closure to know that HE wasn't the problem for once. All the problems he had with her weren't imagined.

The news that she was likely under Ryker's thumb was disturbing to say the least. Especially when she'd passed information to them about the army general. He wondered if any of it was real. Or pertinent. It was probably a red herring, so to speak.

"General John Ryker?" asked Bruce, wanting to make sure they were talking about the same man.

"One and the same…" Ross looked between them. "What about him?"

"You're not here ABOUT Ryker?" asked Tony incredulously.

"I'm here about Betty and to a lesser extent, Ms. Vorso…"

"Oh…" Tony said hollowly. He walked around to his work bench, silently miming a zipping action over his lips. Bruce knew not to bring up Ryker or what they knew about him.

"What did you want with Alice? You never said…" Bruce began, hoping to turn the conversation away from Ryker.

"Director Fury told me about her when I was checking in about you. I wanted to meet her. I wanted to see for myself that you were under control."

"I am. He is…" Bruce said.

"Good. Because I need you to be in control."

He felt his skin prickling, bristling.

"I just wanted to relay some information to you that I wasn't sure SHIELD would. I think you deserve to know that Emil Blonsky escaped the Raft a week ago."

Bruce's head was swimming.

_Blonksy. _

"How?" he asked, swallowing thickly.

"I don't know. There was a security malfunction. He slipped right out under their noses."

"How does something that big just 'slip out'?"

Ross shook his head, "No idea. The guards said a tour group went though, one of those rich people tours, you know? The weirdos who want to stare evil right in the face? Anyway, they walked by the cell and he was gone. No security breaches, nothing. The guard said he looked away for 30 seconds at most. He just disappeared."

"Can we have the report? WAS there a report?"

"I don't see why not. If you go through the proper channels," Ross raised an eyebrow. He was through helping them, apparently. "Is it possible to meet Ms. Vorso now?"

Bruce knew he'd have to introduce them. Sooner or later. Either with Director Fury present or not. Not would be preferable, since he and Alice were trying to maintain a low profile because of the article that Parker had just published, which pretty much outed her as a mutant and superhero.

Bruce shot a glance back towards Tony and turned to leave.

Ross grabbed his arm tightly, "I think I should go along."

"I think I'm more than capable of going alone," he replied, jerking his arm out of Ross' grasp.

Bruce left, walking down the hall and getting in the elevator, he took it up to where the gym was, just a few floors below the apartments. He exited the elevators, taking a deep breath before walking down to where the boxing ring was. Alice was grappling with Steve. Or was about to start, anyway. Logan and Natasha were watching from the other side of the ring.

Bruce stood back to watch. Ross could just cool his jets for a bit.

She was nimble, and agile. And slippery apparently, because Steve couldn't get a grip on her. She kept jumping back, or ducking down, twisting herself constantly. She dropped suddenly, sliding her foot back and barely tapping the back of Steve's right knee. He went down hard, and she jumped back up, bouncing excitedly.

Bruce chuckled lightly.

Steve looked up at Bruce. "I'd like to see you try it."

Logan rolled his eyes. "He's letting her win,"

Steve turned to him, "I most certainly am not!"

Alice looked between the two of them, "I don't care. That's the only time I've gotten remotely close to beating him. I'm going to take it."

Logan shrugged, "Still hasn't beaten me," he said with a grin.

"Congratulations. You're stronger than a 5 foot nothing 110 pound girl," said Alice, rolling her eyes. "Natasha kicked your ass, so you're not perfect."

Natasha's lips tugged upward for a moment.

Bruce smiled, but it fell from his face quickly. He took a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" asked Alice.

"We have to go talk to someone."

"Who? I'm not done here yet."

"This is important. It needs to be now."

"What is it?" asked Natasha, her face quizzical.

"I can't really say…"

"Bullshit," said Natasha.

Bruce sighed, "General Ross wants to speak to us."

Steve stood up and started walking over to where his bag was. He shouldered it and looked at Bruce. "Let's go."

"Us…Alice and I…"

"Whatever it is, we need to know it too, we're a team," Steve said.

"Aww, I'm part of the team?" Alice asked.

Bruce's heart swelled a little, she looked so happy.

Steve smiled at her, "Of course you are."

Alice grabbed her phone and followed Bruce. "Do I have time to take a shower?"

"No," he said quickly. "He wants to talk to us now."

There was a soft thump behind them. Bruce turned to see Clint straighten from a crouch to a standing position. He dusted off the front of his t-shirt.

"Where-?" Bruce began, puzzled.

"Up there," Clint pointed up to the rafters above the ring, like it was obvious.

They all turned to go back to the elevator. Logan followed as well. Bruce started to protest, but he was interrupted, "I'm coming with you. You don't have time to fight about it."

"Fine."

_I'm through arguing._

They rode the elevator back down to the lab.

Once there, they headed back to the break room, where Tony had moved the table and chairs around. Natasha and Logan stood back towards the doorway. Clint hopped up on the counter. Steve quickly grabbed another chair for himself.

General Ross raised his eyebrows, "I didn't realize I'd be addressing ALL of you..."

"Alice is a teammate, what threatens her, threatens us all," Steve said.

"I assume you are Alice Vorso?" General Ross held his hand out to Alice.

She took it, shaking it firmly.

"I wasn't sure, all the women in Stark's employ look alike."

Alice frowned.

He turned towards Natasha, "You must be Natasha Romanov, Code Name: Black Widow. Former Russian spy and assassin," he said, as if reciting her stats from a baseball card.

She raised her chin defiantly.

Ross smiled, if you could call it that. He simply looked less constipated than usual.

He turned, addressing the entire room, "Everyone have a seat."

Bruce pulled Alice's chair out for her before taking a seat to her immediate left. Steve took the seat to her right. Tony pulled his chair back against the wall and sat down there. Natasha, Logan and Clint remained where they were.

Ross looked back at the back of the room where Natasha and Logan were standing. He squinted at Logan as if trying to place him.

"Who are you, soldier?" he asked bluntly.

"I'm no soldier," he growled in reply.

"You stand like one. Who are you?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis," replied Logan, not moving.

"I need to know," said Ross.

"He's Alice's bodyguard," said Tony.

Logan frowned at Tony, bewildered.

"If what Fury says is true, she doesn't NEED a bodyguard," said Ross.

Tony shrugged, "What can I say? She's got a body and he wanted to guard it."

Bruce stiffened, tightening his grip on her. He knew Tony was joking, but it made him uncomfortable. The way Logan looked at Alice. She didn't seem to notice, but Bruce certainly did. He quickly put it out of his mind, trying to focus on the issue at hand.

Ross sighed and took a seat at the opposite side of the table, facing all of them.

"I'm going to go ahead as if you all know who Emil Blonsky is…"

Alice raised her hand slightly, "I—I don't know who Emil Blonsky is…"

Suddenly, the door to the break room swung open. A very pissed-off Nick Fury stormed in, followed by Maria Hill.

"Please. Come in. Pull up a chair. Can I get you anything? A scone perhaps? Some sort of sickening Pumpkin Spiced coffee beverage for the lady?," Tony asked facetiously.

Agent Hill narrowed her eyes in Tony's direction.

"Why wasn't I told about this little meeting?" Fury asked, looking from Tony to General Ross.

Tony raised his hands in front of him defensively. "I told you as soon as I knew..."

Fury rounded on Ross. "Ross, what the fuck are you doing here?"

"I was planning on briefing Dr. Banner and Ms. Vorso about Blonsky...it turned into an Avengers meet and greet. Which wasn't my intention."

"Dr. Banner and Ms. Vorso are SHIELD consultants. You want to talk to them, you go through me."

Alice jiggled Bruce's arm, he turned to look at her. "SHIELD CONSULTANT?" she mouthed silently. Bruce shrugged, shaking his head.

"Dr. Banner is on loan from the US Military, Director Fury. That WAS our agreement, was it not?"

Bruce felt rage bubble up inside him. Alice flinched and placed her cool hand on his back, between his shoulders. She slid it up the back of his neck into his hair, where she dragged her fingernails absently along his scalp. He took a deep breath, leaning into her touch. He shot her an apologetic glance. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards slightly. He reached across her body and took her other hand, lacing their fingers.

"You're not going to kiss, are you?" asked Tony, interrupting the staring contest Fury and Ross were having.

"We'll brief you on everything you need to know," Fury interjected, glaring at Ross, but clearly not speaking to him. "This little party is over. General, you can see your way out. The rest of you, meet me in 10. Stark's biggest conference room. JARVIS?"

"Yes, Director Fury?"

"Make it quiet."

"Right away, sir."

"Since WHEN does JARVIS take orders from you?" asked Tony.

"Stark, everyone takes orders from me. Even you. Get used to it. Now, get someone to get me some coffee."

"Right away, sir," Tony mock saluted, but when Fury turned his back, he make a rude gesture behind his back. "Agent Hill...Pumpkin Spice Latte?"

She frowned sternly at Tony before answering, "Yes," and turning to follow Director Fury out of the room.

Bruce turned towards Alice, "Are you okay?"

She turned to look at him, "No! Of course I'm not okay! Some psycho is…this is just…so overwhelming!"

Bruce felt an overwhelming desire to take Alice's hand and run. He curbed it for the time being.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he vowed.

"How can you promise that?" she asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

Bruce was quiet. He couldn't and they both knew it.

"I need to go take a shower," she said definitively. She looked pointedly at him and got up to leave.

Bruce followed her.

"Banner, don't ditch the meeting," said Natasha, almost pleadingly. "Don't do anything stupid."

_Geez, Natasha…can you read my thoughts or something?_

He nodded curtly and followed Alice.

She did take a shower. A surprisingly short one.

She rebraided her hair.

"Every single time we make plans, something happens. I think this is the universe telling us to be more spontaneous," she said, chuckling without humor.

Bruce chanced a small smile, "We'll go to lunch, don't worry."

She grinned, "I was thinking more BIG PICTURE than just lunch this afternoon."

He chuckled, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear.

"Who is Emil Blonsky?" she asked.

"He's…another guy like…me. Like Flux."

"But you've met him before? You've…fought him before?"

"Yes. And…he's…very powerful, Alice. I won't lie to you."

Her face fell. "We should run. Shouldn't we? We should run," she sounded manic.

"We can't…the Other Guy is the only one who can fight him."

Her chin started to wobble, "Bruce, please can we just run?" Tears slipped down her cheeks as she crumpled into a ball on his lap. "Please, please, please…can we run?"

"It will be okay…Alice…" he stroked her back in what he hoped was a caring way, and not annoying.

"Bruce, I'm SCARED," she sobbed. "Flux was big. I can't even imagine something bigger than him. I just…I can't…" Her whole body collapsed against him. "It's too much…Thomas…Ryker…Flux…now Blonsky…" she fell into another fit of sobs and Bruce wasn't able to understand what she was saying anymore.

He held her tightly until she stopped shaking. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and meeting his gaze. "Sorry…everything was just…building up and…"

"I understand, you needed to vent…are you okay?"

"I'm fine…much better now," she smiled. Tearfully, but genuine.

"I'm sure Director Fury has a plan and I'll bet Tony has a better one."

Alice smile broadened, "I can't wait to hear Tony's plan."

Bruce thought at that moment he could live to bring a smile to her face.

She stood and changed into a pair of what looked like tie-dyed yoga pants and a white t-shirt that fell off one shoulder.

"Those are cute," he gestured to her pants. "Are they yoga pants?"

She frowned at him. "Exhumas pants," she said warily. "Why did you say it like that?"

"What?"

"Cute."

"They are."

"You don't use that word. You don't say things are cute."

"I do now. You're cute. Those pants. Are cute. On you. I like the way your ass looks in them," he raised his eyebrows, deciding to be truthful. "There."

She giggled, her hand over her mouth, "Really?"

"Yes."

She giggled again.

"Of course, I like the way your ass looks in most things…but right now…it just looks squeezable."

"Want to test that theory?"

"We'd be late for Fury's meeting."

"So?"

"Normally, I'd be inclined to agree with you, but I think we should try and be on time," he held out his hand.

She nodded, accepting his proffered hand and standing. She slipped on her shoes before they left the apartment.

"Do I compliment you enough?" asked Bruce thoughtfully while they were in the elevator.

She shrugged. "How much is enough?"

"I don't know. I just don't feel like I do it enough."

"So do it more," she said, her tongue between her teeth.

"Keep that in your mouth, or we're going to be checking something off your bucket list," he said, grinning boyishly.

She smiled and tucked herself under his arm.

They arrived on the floor of the office suites. Alice slipped her arm around Bruce's waist and they walked together. As they approached the door to the room, Alice looked up at him.

"Last chance to make a run for it."

Bruce leaned down and kissed her lips softly, "Not today."

She nodded and untangled herself from him. They opened the door and went inside.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**General Ross. He's only in this chapter, by the by. Just a cameo for him as well.**

**Anywho, I'm happy to get back to at least a LITTLE of the Brulice cuteness in this chapter. I never realized how tiring it would be to write them constantly fighting.**

**So, the highlights of this chapter: Betty is a conniving little...bad person, Alice is working on controlling her inner super saiyan, and Maria Hill likes pumpkin spice lattes. :P**

**Getting close to the end now...only 6 chapters to go. Make sure you're following me if you want updates for the third installment. It will be titled "Open Up Your Sky" and it looks like the first chapter will be posted around November 10-14 or so...depending on if I continue to update as speedily as I have been, and if I get it ready in time, haha. I will know a definite date soon.**

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I DO own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston.**

**Please Favorite/Follow/Review if you feel so inclined!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Graceless' by The National. Warnings: Language. **

* * *

**Angela**

She stumbled into the lobby of Avengers Tower, looking around at the empty room. There were barely any lights on at all. She actually couldn't believe the door was open. Someone had kept it from latching with an empty cigarette pack, probably so they could get back in easily. Angela was thankful, regardless of the reason.

She was out of breath, sweat dripping from seemingly every pore. In short, she was exhausted. But, she couldn't stop, not until she found Stark, or Bruce, or Alice, or someone. Anyone.

They might put her in prison, but they'd keep her safe. Safe from Ryker, safe from Thomas, safe from all of them. She only wished she could have brought HIM with her. Tibbets. But there was no way.

In his more lucid moments, he spoke to her. Mostly short sentences, begging her to end him. She would have, but she didn't know how.

She banished the thought of him from her mind. She had to be more singular in her focus.

Angela made her way to the elevator atrium. She needed to find her way to security or something. The best way to do that was to do something illegal. That'd get their attention quickly enough.

She looked around frantically, her eyes resting on a fire axe behind glass right under the extinguisher. She broke the glass and pulled out the axe, turning and walking over to the only elevator without a button. The one with the fingerprint scanner. She hoisted the axe behind her and swung into the scanner.

* * *

**Bruce**

"So…what do we know for certain?" asked Bruce, tapping on the white board behind him. The other members of the Avengers were sitting around the board staring at the pictures he'd stuck up there. They were currently trying to draw parallels between all the known accomplices of Ryker.

"Betty's married to Talbot, who is now living on Ryker's base, probably feeding information back to him," said Bruce, drawing the line from Betty to Talbot and then to Ryker.

"Thomas and Angela are WITH Ryker," added Alice. "And Flux was created by Ryker."

"I don't see why we couldn't do this on the touch screens, I feel like we're on an episode of Law and Order," Tony whined before adding a "Dun-dun…"

Bruce rolled his eyes and drew the lines correlating to what Alice had just said.

"Okay, so do we know what Ryker's end game is? What is he planning on doing?" asked Steve.

Everyone grew silent.

"I have no idea," Bruce said, shaking his head. "Tony, did you find any information about that when you did your mega search?"

"Not really, no. I did find out that his wife, Sarah, is suffering from terminal cancer."

"What use is that?" asked Natasha.

"I don't know, but I found it out and wanted to share," said Tony.

"Okay, okay…" Steve said, "What about what Fury told us?"

"That he's experimenting with gamma radiation, but we already knew that," said Bruce exasperatedly.

"Sir? I apologize for the interruption, but there has been a security breach," JARVIS's cool British voice cut in.

"Again? Damn Tony, can't you keep this place in check?" asked Natasha, shaking her head.

"You ARE all aware that we are a finely tuned crime fighting team, right? I can't hold down the fort constantly while some of you sit on your ass and binge watch GLEE," Tony said deliberately.

Natasha blushed crimson.

"So…I take it Tony's monitoring our DVR," Alice said, sighing.

"Damn right. You guys are so boring. No porn at all. Except…Steve…Busty Space Vixens 14?"

Steve turned red and sputtered loudly, "IT WAS LOGAN."

"Sure it was."

Alice heard Logan chuckling from the back of the room.

She shot him a dirty look.

He let his feet drop from the table they were resting on, "What? Porn is a very healthy way for a virile male to—"

"If you finish that sentence…I will find a way to end you," said Alice menacingly.

"Um…isn't there a security breach?" asked Clint, looking around the room questioningly.

Tony waved his hand dismissively, "Eh, I'm sure Happy handled it."

"Sir, your and Dr. Banner's presence is requested in holding cell C in the basement."

"OF course it is…" Tony said, hauling himself to his feet. "And I was ready to talk about Space Vixens…"

"BUSTY Space Vixens," corrected Clint.

"Right, my mistake."

"Part 14," Logan chimed in.

Bruce stood and shouldered his bag, ready to follow Tony out the door.

"I'm coming too," said Alice.

Bruce hesitated for a moment, trying to think of a reason she shouldn't come along.

"I have to keep you in check, Banner."

"Please do. Because while renovating my ENTIRE basement does sound fun, I'd rather not if it's all the same to you," quipped Tony.

"Fine, fine. Let's go," Bruce acquiesced.

They took the elevator down to the basement level. JARVIS sent security footage to Tony's phone. They all crowded around him to watch the video of a blonde woman who seemed hell bent on destroying Tony's lobby.

"I can't make out her face…" said Tony, squinting.

"One of your exes, Tony?" asked Alice, chuckling.

"Hey…none of my exes were EVER this dissatisfied."

Alice took the phone from him. Her eyes widened. "Nope. One of YOUR exes, Bruce."

"Oh well, that explains it," Tony muttered.

Bruce grimaced in disbelief, "What?"

"It's Angela. Lipscombe."

He strained to see the face on the screen, "Are you sure?"

"What, did you date so many blondes that it's hard to tell them apart?"

"No…only like 3 blondes…"

Alice set her jaw angrily, "It IS Angela. I know, because for a week while I was imprisoned, hers was the only face I saw." She thrust the phone roughly against Tony's chest and pushed ahead of them when the doors opened.

Tony smacked his arm. Hard.

"Ow…" Bruce frowned at him and rubbed his shoulder. "What was that for?"

"Duuuurrr, only like 3 blondes…." Tony mimicked Bruce, shaking his head. "What were you thinking?"

"I was telling the truth," he protested.

"Go fix it now…"

"Fix what? Me telling the truth?"

"Go make Alice feel like she's the best thing that ever happened."

"She IS the best thing that ever happened…"

"Great. Wrong audience. Go," Tony pushed Bruce up towards Alice, who was walking VERY quickly towards the holding cell. He had to almost run to keep up with her.

"Alice…I…"

"Save it, Bruce, not now."

"It's not like hair color matters to me. At all."

Her expression softened, "Aw…that was terrible, but you're trying."

"How was that terrible?"

She pulled him down to kiss him, "Hon, I'm not upset about the hair color of your exes, I'm just upset that there ARE exes and that you remember them so vividly. BUT, I acknowledge that you're trying to make me feel better and I love you for that."

_It's not like I can HELP it. It's not like I KNEW that I'd meet her one day. If I did know that, I wouldn't have dated anyone until I found her…._

_ Maybe I should say that…_

Tony tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts. "C'mon, Aristotle, there'll be plenty of time for thinking later."

"Those sound like some famous last words..." Bruce muttered under his breath as they rushed off in the direction Alice was walking. She had stopped outside a door and was peering in through the small window at the top. She wasn't tall enough to see in, but Bruce could see right over her head.

There was a blonde woman seated at the table inside. Her hands were cuffed to a ring in the middle of the table, which Bruce assumed was bolted to the ground. Her hair looked stringy, and she looked tired and damp. She looked a lot older than what he was expecting. Of course, he hadn't seen her in 20 years, she was nearing 40, like he was. He secretly hoped he was faring better in the aging department.

"Well, I'll be damned. That IS Angela," he said in amazement.

"What's she doing here?" asked Tony.

"I don't know. If I had to guess…I'd say she wants to borrow your recipe for stuffed manicotti," said Alice sarcastically.

"No…she's allergic to dairy…" said Bruce absently.

Alice glared at him.

"I'd say she came so borrow Bruce's shovel and learn how to dig holes from the MASTER. The one you're in right now is SO DEEP," quipped Tony.

"I'm sorry!" Bruce raised his hands in surrender, "A dairy allergy is memorable."

"Come on," said Tony. "Before Bruce digs a hole to China."

"You can't dig a hole to China," said Bruce. "You'd have to drill through the Earth's core and nothing exists that could drill through it."

"I wonder if I got a drill made from vibranium or adamantium, if that could do it," Tony pondered aloud.

"There could be something down there that we've never encountered before…you'd have to create a new element again…"

Tony's eyes lit up.

"OR, you know… you can't because GEOGRAPHY," said Alice hotly. "If you dug straight down from here, you'd end up in Indonesia or something."

_She's right, _thought Bruce, impressed.

"Hey…shut it," said Tony, "we were having a MOMENT. We never have moments anymore, thanks to you," he poked her shoulder comically.

"Good. Because that was a DUMB MOMENT," sneered Alice.

Tony made an offended squawk sound.

"We probably should go in there. We're just standing outside the door like a bunch of idiots," said Bruce.

"This isn't over, VORSO," warned Tony.

"Sounds like it IS, STARK."

Bruce rolled his eyes as they entered the room.

Alice leaned against the far wall, probably not wanting to get close to her. Bruce joined her there. Tony took the seat in front of Angela.

She looked tired, dirty, bruised. Most of all, she looked scared. Her gaze kept flitting around to the corners of the room.

"So…what are you doing here?" asked Tony.

* * *

**Angela**

She bit her lip, looking around the room. Alice looked the same as she remembered. Red hair, smooth skin, green eyes flashing. No matter what they'd done to her, her eyes had never stopped flashing. Angela had admired that vivacity. She still did.

Bruce looked pretty much the same. He'd grown into his features more. He was less baby-faced than she recalled. But that was to be expected. He WAS almost forty now.

They looked good together, leaning against the far wall.

Stark looked the same. She'd seen a lot of him on TV, so it wasn't a huge surprise to see him there.

"Hello? Are you with us?" he asked, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Sorry…uh…I'm here to…surrender?" she lifted her hands as much as the handcuffs would allow.

"Funny way to go about it…the head of security says you axed my entire lobby. Did a LOT of damage."

"I had to get your attention."

"You got it," Tony laughed nervously.

"Why are you switching sides? Where's Thomas?" asked Alice abruptly. Her jaw was set, her eyes cold.

_She doesn't trust me. Smart girl. Except I need her to trust me this time. I'm not going back…_

"I left them…I had to…" Angela felt tears springing to her eyes.

"Why?" asked Bruce. It was the first word he'd spoken since he'd come in.

She sniffed, hoping to be able to convey all the information she had in a way that would make them believe her.

"The experiments he was doing…they were inhumane."

"Inhumane? Were they as bad as signing away the lives of mental patients just because they had no family and no one would miss them?" asked Alice hotly.

Bruce put his hand on her arm.

Angela steadied her breathing as a tear dripped down her cheek. "Ryker wants to steal your DNA," she said quietly in Alice's direction. "Yours and Bruce's. He wants your children to make an army. An army of Hulk-like creatures, capable of storing gamma energy. He wants to use them to take over the world."

The color drained from Alice's face and Angela knew she'd hit her mark.

"How?" she whispered, clutching Bruce's arm.

"He was going to take you, both of you. Harvest your…" she coughed uncomfortably, "DNA and use it to create test tube babies. He'd grow them in an artificial womb and they'd emerge, completely grown and able to annihilate entire cities. His science was sound. He had all of Samson's unpublished work, thanks to your ex, Bruce."

"Betty?" he sounded pained.

"Dr. Talbot wanted to please her husband and her husband wanted to please Ryker. So yeah, she completely stole Samson's work," Angela said, sounding almost jealous. She couldn't keep the vengeful tone from her voice. "Leonard's work didn't start out like this…he wanted to help the human race. To improve it, he really did."

Alice's eyes narrowed, "Don't you DARE defend that man to me. You have NO IDEA what it's like to be a product of one of his little 'experiments'," she snarled.

"You can't deny the gift you were given! Sure, you were already a mutant, but Leonard made you better, stronger, able to BE WITH Bruce. You have a lot to thank him for…"

"Enough," Bruce said loudly. He had his arm around Alice's back and her hand captured in one of his. Holding her back.

Angela swallowed thickly, deciding to change tactics. "Benjamin Tibbets. He WAS a man. I only ever saw him as the monster Ryker made him into, but sometimes, his humanity was visible. He'd beg me to end his life, but I didn't know how…" She shook her head rapidly, "Ryker did that to him. Made him a monster. He even used Thomas to break another monster out of prison. All for the express purpose of kidnapping the both of you and stealing your children."

Bruce and Alice glanced towards one another. Alice gripped his arm tightly and he slid his arms around her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Angela felt a tinge of envy.

He whispered something in her ear, a question. She shook her head and gripped his arm more.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" asked Tony.

Angela looked around at the three of them. _They still don't believe me… _she thought frantically.

"Thomas hid himself on incoming emails in order to gain entrance to Stark Tower. A simple firewall that searches out one specific file will keep him out," she offered. Pleaded. Begged.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "I'm sure that's only a temporary fix. Once he finds out, he'll just attach himself to another file."

_Something…anything to make me valuable to them…_

"I know where they are," she said triumphantly.

"Where are they?" both Bruce and Tony asked in unison.

"I'll tell you…IF you promise to keep me safe. Don't let them take me back…they'd experiment on me…turn me into…God knows what."

Tony eyed her suspiciously. He turned towards Bruce then back to Angela. "Let me talk to someone, call a few people…make sure I can actually DO that."

The three of them filed out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Angela sat back in the chair, sighing with relief. She hoped they'd come to an agreement soon.

She cringed when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She turned slowly, craning her neck as much as she could to see what (or who) was behind her.

* * *

**Bruce**

"I don't care if she's safe, honestly," said Alice, "But, we NEED to know where Ryker is. If we know where he is, we're one step ahead."

Bruce nodded in agreement.

"I need to call Nick Fury. I need to make sure I can actually promise her this before we do it."

Alice agreed reluctantly.

Once Tony had walked down the hall, Bruce turned to Alice.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pulling her close again.

"Yes…I just…" she started talking and then shook her head.

"What is it?"

"You're going to think I'm terrible…"

Bruce thought he had an idea of what she meant. "I'd never judge you for any feelings you have regarding this—"

"I was thinking that I'm so glad we're not pregnant," she said suddenly.

Bruce was surprised because honestly, the thought hadn't crossed his mind since they had found out she wasn't. He didn't know how to respond.

"Because if this psycho wants our kids…he'd stop at nothing to get them…" she shivered and cleared her throat.

"He won't get anything from us, Alice. I won't let him."

"I won't either," she promised. "I'd rather die than see our children used in that way. I was born that way. I have too much respect for the people they would potentially become to let that happen to them. I'd give up the chance to have any at all if I could keep that from happening."

He leaned forward to kiss her, "We'll have kids of our own. That will be born out of love. That we raise, protect and cherish for as long as we can."

She nodded, sobbing harshly as a tear dripped down her nose. "I am so scared, Bruce."

"Me too," he admitted. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her protectively. She shivered against him.

* * *

**Angela**

"You know he's not going to like this, Ange."

"Go the FUCK away, Freak," Angela tried to turn to look at the voice's owner.

He crossed around to the front of the table. He slammed his hands down on either side of hers. His dark brown eyes flashed. "He hasn't noticed you're gone yet. I can take you back with me."

"I'm not going back, Thomas."

"Angela. If you don't, you're going to be in deep shit. I can't help you."

"I'm not asking for your help. I'm asking for theirs."

"They aren't going to help you like I would. They don't care about you."

"Neither do you."

He clasped his hand close to his heart, "You wound me, woman."

"Besides, you're too late. I already told them everything. Get out of here. Or stay. If they find you here, at least Ryker wouldn't have you to help him."

Thomas waved his hand dismissively. "Even if they found me, they couldn't keep me here."

Angela rolled her eyes.

"Ange, did you tell them where he is?"

"No."

_Not a lie. I haven't yet._

"Not yet, anyway…" he sighed, getting up from the table. "I am going to have to tell him, you know."

"Yes."

"And nothing will be able to save you. Not Iron Man, not the Hulk, not Alice."

"It's highly unlikely that they'd try to save me, anyway."

Thomas looked conflicted. It was a new look for him. He was usually so sure of himself. "I—I don't have a contingency for this, Ange. I didn't expect you to leave."

She shrugged, "Nice to know I can still surprise you."

"How did you leave without being noticed?" he asked, his eyebrows raised, his tone awed.

She felt the corner of her mouth twitch upward for a split second before she gathered herself again. She wasn't going to tell him. She'd promised she wouldn't. She remained silent.

He shook his head. "You're going to regret this…"

She groaned, "Please don't quote Casablanca…"

"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon! And for the rest of your life."

"Get the fuck out, Thomas."

"Here's lookin'…"

She stood, straining her wrists in the cuffs and attempted to headbutt him. He disappeared before she could. She sat back down, breathing heavily.

"At you, Kid," he finished the line. She felt his hot breath on her neck. She cringed and shrunk away, but he was already gone.

She let her head drop to the table.

* * *

**Bruce**

"Fort Monmouth. Oceansport, New Jersey," Angela spouted off quickly once assured of her safety.

"I thought that base was shut down…" Tony said absently while running a search on his phone.

"It is, technically. But that's where Ryker's doing his gamma experiments," Angela explained. She sipped at the water he brought her from a straw.

"Well, SHIELD agents will be here soon to take you into custody. I can't promise it will be comfortable, but I can promise you'll be treated fairly and be kept safely from Thomas," said Tony, almost apologetically.

"He can travel through all forms of electrical cable, but his favorite way to travel is as data," she reminded them apprehensively.

"SHIELD knows everything you've told us and has set up a cell for you accordingly," Tony assured her.

She nodded nervously, "Thank you, Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, Ms. Vorso…"

Alice nodded tersely, probably still harboring bad feelings from her imprisonment at Meadowbrook. Bruce pressed his lips together in a line and avoided eye contact. Tony was the only one who attempted to be uplifting.

"Have fun in SHIELD custody," he said dryly.

Sort of.

They all left the room again, leaving her in the care of the security guards until SHIELD agents got there to apprehend her.

They rode the elevator back upstairs in relative silence.

"Lab, Banner?" asked Tony.

Bruce nodded.

"I'm staying with you," said Alice quietly.

"You don't have to—"

"I'm scared," she said simply, reiterating her earlier sentiments.

He reached for her hand. He couldn't do what he wanted because Tony was here, but he did pull her closer to him. She let her head drop onto his shoulder.

"I could use the company," he said awkwardly, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Ahem…I'm still in the elevator. There's nowhere for me to go. Just reminding you that I'm still here."

"Yes, Tony. I was aware of that. That's why I didn't assert my manliness by taking her roughly on the floor."

"Oh is that why? I was confused. I told you I was scared and then felt a definite lack of penis inside me…" quipped Alice.

"Shut up…" Tony said. "Or I'm going to make you all watch Busty Space Vixens 14."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so this is more of a filler chapter than anything else, just kind of picking up all the loose ends and showing them to you again, so you know where everything stands so far. I don't *think* I gave any new information, just reiterated previous stuff and got all the characters on basically the same page. Except for Angela, because we don't know how she escaped from the army base undetected...hmm...I guess that will have to be saved for later. ;)**

**Thomas is up to something as well, he's acting pretty put off that Angela deflected. **

**I tried to keep this chapter as light as I could, given the circumstances. I don't know if 'Busty Space Vixens 14' is a real thing, I was too scared to google it. :/ But, I think it sounds like something Logan would watch, doesn't it? :P On Captain America's DVR no less. **

**I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice, her parents/grandparents, Zeke, Jules, Thomas and Preston.**

**Please favorite/follow/review if you feel so inclined!**

**The real fun starts soon. ;) See you next Tuesday!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Know Your Enemy' by Green Day. Warnings: Violence, Language, and my crappy action writing. In the next few chapters, I switch back and forth between POVs a lot, so be prepared for that. I was hoping for a Tarentino-esque thing, but I'm not sure I got there. I hope it's at least readable. **

* * *

**Thomas**

_Pay attention. Pay attention. Pay attention. Shit. I wasn't listening, I was concentrating too hard on paying attention. Widen your eyes like you know what the old fool is talking about. _

Thomas widened his eyes expressively.

"Then, you'll meet up with Blonsky for the hand off, got it?" Ryker paused and swore silently under his breath. "You're SURE that little bitch told them everything?"

_Bitch. Ouch. Eh. Call a spade a spade, I guess. _

"I'm not 100%, but I'm sitting pretty at 95% sure."

He'd held out on telling Ryker for as long as he could without looking like he'd helped her or supported her decision in any way.

_Seriously, Ange. Couldn't you just wait…I wasn't going to let this idiot do anything…I just need to get to Alice without her trying to destroy me. I needed to make her trust me…_

"Cool it, Riley. I've got no time for your smart mouth bullshit."

"Of course sir. I'll switch to dumb mouth right away."

John glared in his direction, likely re-evaluating his decision to partner up with the mutant.

"Blonsky was our ace in the hole. They weren't supposed to know about him. He was supposed to get the girl so Banner would come after her…now that they're expecting him…"

"Well, I'm sure pushing up the attack will prove to be a smart move. Stark's birthday event is scheduled for tonight. They'll all be in their formal wear, a little bit tipsy, they won't expect an attack."

_Because rushing an attack half-assed when you're not ready is ALWAYS a great idea._

"Or they WILL expect it and be completely prepared. We might have picked the worst possible night to do this…" John's face looked torn.

_DON'T back out…not now. This is working out so well…_

"General, I'm sure you didn't earn that title by second guessing yourself," Thomas reassured him.

Ryker's face lifted, he rallied. "Damn straight. Riley, get ready to depart. We reassemble at 22:00 at the rendezvous point.." He stood and replaced his hat on his head.

_Close one._

Thomas smirked, "I'll be there. I won't be leaving with you, though. I have some things to get in order myself. 22:00 at the rendezvous point," he purposely mispronounced the common French word. "Try not to cut the power."

Ryker nodded stiffly, obviously put off by Thomas' sudden change of plans. If he'd learned anything about his stay here on the army base, it was that these army dudes were sticklers for punctuality and agendas.

Thomas was more of a maverick when it came to that.

_Maverick. I like that. Maybe that will be my super hero name…Nah. It should be something to do with currents or data… Data? Hmm… no. That's Star Trek. _

He grinned as he thought about the way he'd been sneaking into Avengers Tower lately. On files marked .ukn for Unknown.

He ran a quick Google search in his head for the word. Settling on the Greek translation.

"Agnosto," he whispered, grinning as he changed his coding, disappearing into the matrix.

* * *

**Alice**

"Have you decided on a dress yet?" Bruce asked.

"I don't want to go."

"Alice…"

She sighed, pursing her lips in frustration. She was standing by the bed in her underwear with at least a dozen dresses laid out in front of her. Bruce was waiting on her to make a decision so he knew what tie to wear.

"Just wear the black one, Bruce," she said exasperatedly.

The purple dress was out of the question. Just as well, it was a cocktail dress anyway. She threw it over on the rejects pile.

Tony's birthday party was that evening, at an art gallery. In lieu of gifts, guests were encouraged to donate to one of the charities sponsored by his non-profit division.

"I wanted to match you, though…" he half whined. She tittered at the ridiculousness of the situation.

It was black-tie. Formal. Mandatory. Tony said all the big cats wanted pictures with the Avengers.

Alice had voiced her doubt that anyone would want to be photographed with her.

Tony had then informed her that lots of "pervy old men, (and pervy young men)" had asked specifically for her. Her popularity had sky-rocketed since Peter Parker's article went into print.

Bruce was less than thrilled about that development.

He was half dressed, suit pants on, shirt on, buttoned and tucked, suspenders hanging from his waist. Alice thought he looked hot. She was kind of looking forward to coming home and taking it off of him.

"Do I have to wear this vest?" He dangled the offending article from his fingertips.

"It WOULD look nice."

"Damn suit has 20 pieces," he grumbled.

She made her decision. She pulled out the green silk evening gown. The one with a plunging neckline.

Bruce wasn't going to be thrilled, but he could go to hell. She wanted to wear this dress. It looked good on her.

She held the dress against her front. She couldn't wear a bra with it. That was certain.

"Can you give me a hand?" she asked, taking the dress off the hanger.

He crossed over to her side of the bed and helped her slip it over her head.

She turned and zipped the dress up her side.

She rotated to look at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing the soft fabric down her front. It was gathered at the point of the plunging v-neck, right above her belly button. Everything was tucked and hung in just the right places.

There was a split in the skirt up to her hip, and there was a train on the dress. Removable, of course. She had decided to remove it before even bringing the dress out of the closet. Not like she needed anything else to trip her. The 4 inch heels were enough.

Bruce was silent, just staring at her. His mouth was slightly open.

"I know, I know…the neckline's a bit much…but, it looks so—"

"You're beautiful," he said, looking up at her, meeting her eyes. She blushed, trying to hide her smile.

"You don't think it's too revealing?"

"Of course it is. You'll have to stay glued to my side all night. Won't that be an awful ordeal…"

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "Bruce…"

"You are just…mesmerizing..." he gazed at her, his eyes were about 3 ticks south of eye contact.

She reddened more, "Bruce, quit ogling me."

"No…please don't make me…"

"Finish getting dressed."

"Help me with my tie, please?" He held out an emerald green one that matched her dress.

"Okay," she stepped closer to him, tying his bowtie gently. She felt his fingers skimming along her sides, up to her ribs and back down again, making her skin tingle.

"Stop that…we're running late."

"Are you completely ready?" he asked, slipping his suspenders up over his shoulders. He put on the suit vest, buttoning it.

"Just need to grab my shoes, I'll probably need to be glued to your arm so I don't make a fool of myself."

"Heels?" he asked, smirking.

"Yes."

"Oh, if you were to stumble, I can think of at least 35 men coming to this that would drop everything to catch you."

"I only want you to catch me," she smiled up at him, slipping on the gold metallic heels.

"I will always catch you," he promised, pulling on his suit coat. It was cold outside, so he grabbed an overcoat from the closet, taking hers off the hanger as well. He helped her into it before putting his on.

She grabbed her beaded wrap and clutch.

She had styled her hair carefully, pulling back the sides, but leaving her bangs and the back down. She'd curled it so it fell in soft waves down her back. Her bangs were curled also, so they framed her face.

Her make-up was subtle, which she was glad for. Her dress was very loud, so it was good that she downplayed the make-up.

After checking herself in the mirror, they were ready to leave.

There was a frantic knock at the door when they crossed out of the living room.

Bruce opened the door to see Steve and Darcy. Darcy was wearing a bright blue strapless dress that flowed out in an elegant empire waist. Alice had helped her pick it out. She was very excited about being Steve's date. Steve WAS dating someone, but Alice didn't know who. Apparently, she couldn't come with him to this event, so he asked Darcy at the last minute. Who was also dateless.

Alice had thought for a split second that DARCY was the girl Steve was dating, but Darcy had assured her that if SHE was dating Captain America, it wouldn't be a secret. Alice had to agree with her.

"You wore the green one?" Darcy's face stretched into a smile.

"Yep."

"Your old man let you?"

"She can wear whatever she wants," Bruce said, sounding perturbed by Darcy's insinuation.

"We need to head down, the limo's here," said Steve impatiently.

Steve was wearing a grey tuxedo. He had his shield under one arm.

"Your shield, really, Steve?" asked Alice.

"Can't be too careful."

Alice sighed. She knew what he was referring to. But it had been a while since General Ross' visit and everything was quiet. Not even a peep from SHIELD.

Once downstairs, they were the last ones in the limo, which was huge.

Everyone was dressed up. Natasha looked drop dead gorgeous. Alice had never noticed before, but she was a beautiful woman. She spent most of her time trying to be inconspicuous.

She squeezed into the furthest seat with Bruce on her left and Darcy on her right. Steve stashed his shield in the back and sat on the other side of Darcy.

Darcy nudged Alice's arm. "Did you bring pepper spray?"

Alice snorted in laughter, "NO!"

Darcy quickly rummaged in her bag, pulling out what looked like a lipstick. "I have an extra," she removed the lid to reveal not lipstick but a tiny aerosol sprayer. "Aim it away from your face."

"Why would I need this?"

"Gropy old men."

"I have a Hulk."

"Very funny," Bruce said. "It might not be prudent of me to let the Other Guy come to the party uninvited."

"I have defenses."

"Yeah, but you can't shoot gamma balls at unsuspecting perverts either," said Darcy, still holding out the lipstick pepper spray.

Alice took it and stashed it in her clutch. "If I spray that on my mouth, I'm blaming you."

Darcy chuckled.

"Hey, everyone?" Jules called everyone's attention. Alice didn't even realize that she and Happy were here.

"There will be photographers here, so get out and strike a pose…okay, not really, but let them get pictures of you."

Bruce grimaced, crossing his arms. Alice leaned towards him. "Just try and look like you enjoy spending time with me, please," she teased good-naturedly.

"I will. Because I do."

"Oh and ladies, remove your coats so they can see who you're wearing."

"It's freezing outside!" protested Darcy. "Nobody wants to see my nipples cut glass!"

Alice suppressed a laugh, but was worried about the same thing.

Bruce helped her out of her coat. "I'm having second thoughts about that dress…"

"Me too," Alice agreed.

Soon, the limo pulled up in front of the art gallery. Jules and Happy got out first. Jules to coordinate the press, Happy to check the security.

Clint and Natasha got out next, followed by Steve and Darcy. Each time a couple got out, the flash of the cameras was blinding. Alice squeezed Bruce's hand. He was nervous. At his best, he was just a nerdy scientist. This fame stuff did not interest him in the least.

It was their turn to exit the car. Bruce got out first and helped Alice step out. She had adjusted her wrap around her shoulders. She stepped out into the freezing air. The flashes were overwhelming. She plastered a smile on her face and let Bruce lead her out. Jules instructed them to stop for a moment, they stood. Bruce never took his eyes off Alice.

Lots of people were yelling, reporters asking who she was wearing. Jules filled them in. Finally, it was over and they could step into the gallery. The only other people here were Natasha, Clint, Darcy, Steve and Logan. Alice hadn't seen Logan in the limo, but there he was, sitting at the bar, downing a triple bourbon whiskey and smoking one of his cheap cigars.

Darcy was busy eating what looked like tiny Ark Reactors.

Alice chuckled.

_Subtle, Tony._

It turned out the arc reactors were crackers with blue and black caviar arranged on top.

Alice didn't want to know what kind of fish made blue caviar.

She sat down at the bar. Bruce sat beside her. "That was sickening," she said, looking over at him.

He nodded, exhaling deeply.

"I'm impressed, you're not giving off much gamma at all, are you okay?"

He nodded, "Just deep breathing."

She leaned over to kiss him, "If it becomes too much, you let me take care of some of it, okay?"

"I know," he smirked. "Geez, can't blame a guy for trying to lessen the load a little."

"I can TRY," she teased.

It took forever for Tony and Pepper to come inside. She guessed they were addressing the guests and the press. Soon, though, they came in, followed by droves of people. Press weren't allowed inside, thankfully.

After that, it was a flurry of activity while rich person after rich person asked for pictures.

Alice felt a tinge of jealousy mixed with rage when someone's bleached blonde trophy wife goosed Bruce when they took a picture. He politely set the woman straight, though.

She was glowering at said trophy wife when Bruce returned to their table.

He grinned, "Jealous, are we?"

"Who does she think she is?"

"The wife of the heir to some cheese company," Bruce informed her.

"Well, the Dairy Queen needs to watch herself."

"I'm actually surprised that I'M the one who is…"

"Receiving attention?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, for one, you are adorable. Two, you are VERY dapper in that suit. And three, I'M not going to receive any attention because everyone here knows you're with me, more importantly, they know what happens when you get angry…" she winked.

"Alice!" Tony called, walking towards her with an older gentleman. "This is Stanley Leiber, of Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg and Holloway. He's my attorney, he was my father's attorney…he's been stealing my family's money for years."

Alice smiled politely, unsure of what she was supposed to do with that information.

"He was hoping to use me to get a picture and an autograph for his granddaughter…"

_OH! That explains it. He wants MY autograph?_

The older man held out his hand, "Call me Stan, Ms. Vorso."

Alice reached out to shake his hand, but as she stepped forward, she slipped.

_Dammit, great job, Vorso. _

She looked up, prepared to see Tony laughing at her or something just as embarrassing, but it appeared that everyone had fallen.

_What the—?_

She looked around for Bruce, she felt disoriented.

_The door…where is the door? Is it locked? Wait…I'm not looking for a door…Where's Bruce?_

She tried to stand, but she couldn't find her balance for some reason. She struggled to hold onto a thought.

Her ears were buzzing, ringing. She started coughing.

_There's dust? What the hell happened? _

She felt cold, freezing. And the amount of gamma energy she had to siphon from Bruce was giving her a headache.

She felt a hand on her arm, she looked up.

_Bruce._

She let him help her stand.

He was saying something but she couldn't hear him.

"Are you okay?" he mouthed.

She nodded, "I CAN'T HEAR!"

She held onto his arm and bent down to remove her shoes. They were not helping in her endeavor to remain standing.

She looked around. Everyone was on the ground, the windows were broken, there was glass everywhere, almost everyone had gotten up by now, but a few people were still down.

"WE HAVE TO HELP THEM!" she yelled. Bruce nodded.

She pulled up the train on her dress and ran to the closest person, a woman. She was pinned under a beam that had fallen from the ceiling. She was screaming. Alice couldn't really hear her and she knew she couldn't move the beam. She yelled for Steve.

Steve apparently could still hear. His super soldier hearing wasn't affected.

He was at her side in a moment, pulling the beam off the woman and scooping her up, moving her away from the windows. He gestured wildly, yelling something. Alice understood it to mean that he wanted everyone away from the windows.

Alice suddenly felt a loud pop in her ears. All the sounds came rushing in at once. The screaming was the loudest. She looked around frantically for Bruce. She saw him helping an older woman stand and then walked her over behind the bar.

The sheer amount of gamma energy she felt radiating from him was staggering.

She rushed over to help him with the woman.

"WE NEED TO GET OUTSIDE!" he yelled.

"I can hear," she stated, holding her head.

"Oh, sorry…we need to get outside…I can't be in here. This is…too much," he pressed his hands to the side of his head, undoubtedly trying to block out the noise.

"Okay, okay, we'll go outside," said Alice soothingly.

"I don't want to hurt anyone…I don't want to hurt you," he said as they made their way outside. She felt another wave of gamma come off him.

Her heart went out to him. He was holding back. So he wouldn't hurt her.

"Don't worry, Bruce, just don't hold back, okay? This is what I'm here for. We need YOU right now, not the Hulk. Don't worry about me."

"But, I have to, Alice. I have to worry about you."

"I'll be fine. Let me have it. Let me help you."

The full force of the energy coming off him was almost blinding. She blinked and stumbled backwards, before sitting down hard on the curb. Her head throbbed, her eyes hurt. She felt so damn cold.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"Yes…" her teeth were chattering. "I just need to expel some of it."

Steve rushed out onto the sidewalk, running for the limo that brought them. Clint followed him. Presumably to get his bow and arrows.

Steve stopped running when he saw them. "What are you doing out here?" he yelled loudly, obviously under the impression that Alice still couldn't hear.

Alice pressed her fists into her eyes, trying desperately to stop the throbbing pain she felt. The next wave of gamma came off of Bruce. It hurt so badly she thought she could vomit.

"Hearing's back, Steve," she ground out.

"Sorry…what's wrong?"

"It's me, it's my fault," said Bruce, reaching out to rub her back.

"It's not safe out here," Steve said, looking around.

"And it's safe in there?" asked Bruce, in disbelief.

"I have to expel it, Steve, I…can't take it much longer," Alice added quietly.

"Just hold onto if for a bit longer, you might need it."

Bruce helped her stand, pulling her hands from her eyes. She opened them and blinked, her vision returning.

She could feel her Other Self in the back of her mind. It would be so easy to let her take over.

_Mmm…soft pillowy warmth…_

_ NO! _She jerked her eyes open, searching for Bruce, finding him. He was her anchor, what grounded her. Xavier's voice echoed in her head.

"_Find your anchor and hold on tight."_

She leaned over to grasp his hand tightly. She was pretty sure the Professor wasn't being literal, but it felt nice to feel his warm hand in hers.

She turned slightly and caught sight of herself in a nearby car mirror. She groaned because she couldn't cry and she couldn't scream.

"What's wrong with me?"

Her face was covered in tiny dark green veins. More branched up from her dress, and still more from her hands up her arms.

"She needs to expel some of it or she's going to leave us again," said Bruce.

"Do what you need to…" Steve looked just as worried as Bruce.

"Thank you…"Alice breathed in relief.

She wove an intricate barrier around the people in the building. Probably a BIT more intricate than she needed, but she had to get rid of the energy somehow. Might as well use it as a precaution.

She felt her Other Self receding, stepping into the background now that the danger felt less imminent. She smiled, her headache gone. She checked in the mirror, the green veins were gone too.

"You're okay?" asked Steve.

She sighed in relief, "Yes…" She felt Bruce squeeze her hand tightly.

They hurried back inside to make sure everyone was behind the bar. Tony had summoned a suit. Or he had it with him the whole time. Both were extremely viable options. He was jetting around giving orders.

"What happened?" asked Alice, to no one in particular. She'd been so preoccupied with Bruce that she hadn't stopped to think about it.

"A bomb," said Tony. "Definitely a bomb. Detonation point was the alley behind the kitchen here. Damage seems to be restricted to this building and the one that shared the alley."

"Street's closed down, police barracades set up," said a man in a black suit.

"Looks like a remote detonator, nobody was blown up near it," another chimed in.

Alice assumed they were SHIELD agents.

"Any casualties?" asked Bruce.

"Two," admitted Tony. "The chef and the sous chef, they were closest when the bomb went off."

Alice felt sick again. "Who did this?"

"Don't know for sure, but I could venture a guess."

Natasha appeared. "All the civilians are barricaded behind the barrier." She had ripped the bottom of her skirt off and removed her shoes as well.

Logan appeared again. "Everyone okay?" he was looking at Alice.

"Yeah, we're fine," said Bruce, sounding slightly annoyed.

A black SUV skidded to a halt outside. Out climbed Nick Fury and Maria Hill. They made their way into the building, through a broken window.

"Wonderful event you had planned tonight, Stark. What's in the gift bags? Smallpox blankets?" he called, still walking over, the glass crunching under his boots.

"Only in yours. Thanks, by the way, for doing an outstanding job of letting all of Earth's greatest defenders enter a booby trapped building!"

"Figured you could handle it…" Fury took a look around before turning towards Maria Hill. "Evacuate the civilians…top priority."

"Right away, Sir," she turned abruptly and began barking out orders to the other SHIELD agents that were starting to stream in.

Once the civilians, including Pepper, Darcy, Jules and Happy were safely gone, Fury turned to the 5 Avengers and Alice.

"Alright, so obviously, the explosion was meant to rile Dr. Banner and cause a situation…Thank you, Ms. Vorso for keeping that in check…"

Alice didn't know what to say, she'd never really been addressed by the Director of SHIELD other than to be yelled at for giving an unauthorized interview.

"You're—" she began, but was interrupted when Fury barreled on through.

Bruce reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Of course, NOW, the best course of action is—"

Maria Hill, who had been listening to something on her earpiece, interrupted Fury. "Sir, SIR?"

"Hill?"

"There is another…situation in Midtown…"

"What kind of situation?"

She raised her eyebrows, "THAT kind," she nodded towards Bruce.

"What the—?" Fury sputtered.

"OR, this was OBVIOUSLY a distraction so all the man power would be here and not in Midtown…where the shit's going down…" said Tony not-so-quietly.

"Is it Blonsky? Or…"

"Not Blonksy…Tibbets, sir."

Bruce covered his mouth and swore under his breath. He turned to Fury, "There are too many people there…there will be civilian casualties!"

"He's not…doing anything," said Agent Hill. "He's just…standing there…"

"Waiting," Bruce said.

"Where in Midtown?" asked Tony.

"Junction of 7th and Broad."

"So…Times Square?"

Hill nodded to affirm.

"Call in the order to evacuate Midtown," said Fury abruptly. "Stark, Banner, Barton, you're with Hill. Go meet this bastard and try to keep the damage to a minimum. Banner, you're able to change without…" he gestured to Alice.

"Yes. If I'm far enough away."

"Wait, what are you…I'm going with him!" Alice insisted.

"No," Bruce and Fury said in unison.

"You'll go with Romanov and Rogers. Take her to SHIELD headquarters, she'll be safe there unless SHIELD gets taken down."

Tony raised his hand, "Uh…that doesn't sound like the best idea. I think she should go back to Avengers Tower…"

"She's been abducted from there once before," said Fury bluntly. "SHIELD headquarters."

Tony pursed his lips in indignation.

"Go. No time to argue."

Alice turned to Bruce, who pulled her close, kissing her firmly before letting her go again.

"Be safe. I love you," he said quietly.

"Be safe. I love you," she echoed.

"No matter what, I'll see you soon," he promised.

She felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards. She nodded. "Soon."

He half smiled and turned to leave with Tony and Clint.

* * *

**Tony**

They sat in the SHIELD chopper that had come to pick them up. It was a short flight over to Times Square.

"I just don't understand why they couldn't have taken Alice in the helicopter…" Bruce repeated. Tony watched a cloud pass over his buddy's face, undoubtedly worrying about Alice.

"She'll be fine, Bro. Steve and Nat won't let anything happen to her."

"She'll have SHIELD's eyes and ears on her everywhere. Eyes in the air, eyes on the ground. She'll be fine," Clint added.

Bruce nodded, but didn't look like he believed it.

The chopper landed on the top of one of the buildings overlooking the Square. The lights and playbills were on, but there weren't any people milling around, no crowds outside the theaters, it was eerie.

"If you wanted to see Les Miz, now's your chance! No wait at all!" Tony joked.

Bruce wasn't paying attention. He was surveying the ground with Clint.

_It really sucks when I say something funny and no one is paying attention…_

"There," he said, pointing towards the sidewalk where Broadway and 7th intersected. "Flux."

Tony looked down, squinting to see better. What he saw put his scariest nightmares to shame. The THING looked to be constantly transforming. Now, Bruce had told him about this before, but this...this was so much worse in person.

"Okay…so what's the plan, Banner?"

Bruce scoffed. "The plan? The plan is to kill that thing. Using whatever means necessary. As quickly as possible. Then, we have to find Blonsky. Clint, aim for the human looking parts. He's in constant transformation, so some parts of him remain human. Aim for those. Alice said Logan was able to do damage to him that way. Tony, I need you for mid-ranged attacks. I also need you to aim for the human parts. I'll try and keep his attention, so he only focuses on me."

"So…you'll tank and we'll spank. Got it."

Bruce nodded, pressing his lips into a straight line. "Careful, guys…if something happens to me…if it looks bad…leave me and go help Alice."

"Bruce…"

"Just…do it, okay?"

"Okay…" both men nodded reluctantly.

"Stand back, then…" Bruce walked to the edge of the building and stepped off.

Clint's eyes widened as he peered over the edge.

Tony soared up quickly and started to follow, only to see Bruce transform in midair, slamming into the sidewalk below.

Tony flew quickly up to where Clint was, he scooped up the archer and flew him to a building closer to the action.

"Let me know before you do that next time…"

Tony chuckled to himself as he quickly configured his heads up display. He flew down to where the Hulk and Flux were running headlong towards each other.

"Dr. Banner runs at a slightly slower speed than Flux, Sir," JARVIS informed him.

"Noted," said Tony, zipping down to get a closer look at Flux. "Barton, looks like you can hit him right above the left leg…also the right shoulder."

"Got it, Boss," Clint replied.

Two arrows whizzed past Tony, striking Flux in the areas he'd indicated.

"Nice job, Katniss."

"Keep up your end of the deal, Stark."

Tony scoffed as he shot two bolts towards the enemy mutate, but Flux had already shifted his form again. He cursed as he dodged the bolts, which came bouncing back at him and hit the building behind him.

"Oops…" he lamented. "Sorry about that, Robin Hood…are you okay?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you…"

Tony was about to aim again, this time for Flux's right shoulder, when all of the sudden, everything went black.

_Oh god, did I get knocked out? _

_ No. JARVIS is still here. _

"JARVIS? What was that?"

"It appears that the power grid was damaged for the entirety of Midtown Manhattan."

"Well, that WOULD explain the lack of lights…"

"Tony?" Clint sounded worried.

"What's up?"

"Flux just ran off."

"What?"

Tony turned on his built in high beams and searched for the giant green idiot. Sure enough, he was running down the street with the Hulk in close pursuit. He stopped and repeatedly pummeled the ground near a manhole cover. He dropped down the hole he'd ripped in the street, followed by the Hulk.

"Shit…" exclaimed Tony as realization washed over him.

"Stark? TONY?" Natasha's voice sounded slightly screechy, which was the only indication that something was wrong.

"I read you, Nat. What is it?"

"We have a…uh…problem over here…"

* * *

**Steve.**

"Where the hell is Logan?" asked Alice, looking around as she, Steve and Natasha left.

"Not a clue. Not worried, to be honest," said Steve tersely. He grabbed Alice's arm and hurried her along as they walked. "We have quite a walk ahead of us."

He was VERY nervous that something would happen before they could get Alice out of harm's way. He wasn't sure about Director Fury's decision to keep Alice at SHIELD headquarters, but it wasn't his decision. And he HAD made a valid point. Alice had been taken from Avengers Tower before. All he could think (and hope) was that SHIELD had some kind of special firewall up that Thomas couldn't breech.

"Why didn't they send a helicopter or something for us?" asked Alice.

"This is safer. The less conspicuous, the better." Natasha explained. "Plus, no matter what, Big Brother's always watching."

"I'm not sure if that's supposed to make me feel better…or…"

The assassin smirked.

They ran through a labyrinth of alleys and side roads. Steve was concerned that both the women running with him were barefoot. It was freezing cold and there were puddles on the ground. However, neither complained.

Alice suddenly fell forward into his back. He turned to see her hopping and holding her foot, swearing quietly.

"What happened?"

"Stubbed my DAMN toe on the DAMN dumpster," she sputtered, her lip wobbling as she undoubtedly tried to hold back tears. Steve couldn't blame her. It looked like it hurt. Plus, it'd be hard to convince him that the pain was the only thing making her want to cry.

"Let's stop for a minute, get our bearings?" suggested Natasha, helping Alice over to a bench.

Steve frowned. He contemplated just carrying Alice the rest of the way, but figured a quick rest to figure out exactly where they were wouldn't be the worst idea.

"How far are we from SHIELD?" asked Alice.

Steve didn't get to answer because something ripped through the ground at that precise moment. A large green fist burst through the hole seconds later. The monster that emerged looked slightly familiar, but different enough to warrant alarm.

It looked somewhat like the Hulk: it had green skin, stood at over 9 feet tall and had huge muscles. But that was where the similarities ended.

This one had scales and pointed ears.

Steve recognized him immediately both from the video he'd watched of the Hulk when he'd first woken up AND from the debriefing they'd received from Director Fury. That…was Blonsky. Abomination.

It grinned maniacally. Steve went to move himself in front of Alice, but he was too slow. Abomination swiped his hand out, grabbing Alice and pulling her down in the hole again with him.

Natasha started to leap after him, but stopped when she realized that the behemoth had disappeared into the sewer.

"Call for backup, I'll run after him," Steve dropped down into the sewer, regretting it immediately when he remembered he was still in dress shoes and a tux.

He ran as fast as he could, hearing the snorting pant of Blonsky get further and further away. He slowed to a stop, hanging his head for a moment.

"Rogers, do you copy?" he heard Natasha's voice in his headset.

"I copy."

"We have your location, climb out the nearest manhole."

"I lost them…"

"Just climb out the nearest manhole."

Steve sighed and climbed up the ladder he saw on his left. He emerged on the street, blocks from where he'd began. Natasha appeared from a black SUV, wearing her uniform. She tossed a rolled up bundle of clothing at him.

"Go change. You smell like shit," she said, cocking an eyebrow.

"I lost them."

"We're supposed to meet up with Stark and Barton."

"I can't believe I let it happen again…" Steve said quietly.

Natasha shook her head. "Don't waste time being a crybaby, Rogers. Change clothes. Then we're going to go find BOTH of them."

"Both of them?" he assumed she meant Blonsky.

"Stark said they lost the Hulk. He chased Flux into a sewer. Obviously they had a plan, and we walked right into it."

Steve quickly changed clothes, dumping his ruined suit into the bag Natasha provided.

"So don't feel bad for losing one huge gamma mutate. Stark lost two."

He laughed without humor. "Right. That makes me feel better…"

"Come on, old man. Get in the vehicle."

Steve obliged and the car promptly sped off.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so a lot is happening...I finally finished the next chapter late last night, so that WILL be ready for you this week, so you won't have long to wait for the second half of this. **

**Alice was taken by Blonsky, The Hulk was lured away by Flux, Logan's nowhere to be found. Thomas is playing double agent to himself...Not to worry, though, a LOT of loose ends are tied up in the next chapter. **

**Also in the next chapter, I'm writing for the first time from Clint's perspective, so that will be fun. I hope. Clint's POV came relatively easily, so that means it will be good, or it will be crap. We'll see. **

**Make sure you read my one-shot I posted, "It's Just A Jump To The Left". It's posted in Silver Linings. **

**I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I DO own Alice, Jules and Thomas. **

**Please favorite/Follow/Review if you feel so inclined!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N at the end. :) Song for this chapter is 'Sparkplug' by Faded Red. Warnings: Language, a LOT of Violence, Kidnapping, Death (no major characters), Alice whump, and some Dark! Alice thoughts.**

* * *

**Thomas**

"Damn, where is that big green buffoon?" Thomas asked Angela.

Then he remembered, "Oh…right…she's not here because she screwed me over!"

"It doesn't change the fact that he's late…of course, he wasn't wearing a watch, so I can't really fault him there…not everyone instinctively knows what time it is everywhere."

"It's 7:16 in Albuquerque, in case anyone was wondering," Thomas yelled loudly down the sewer pipe he was standing in.

Apparently no one WAS wondering.

He leaned back against the side of the pipe behind him before thinking better of it. The smell was pretty bad. But it WAS the sewer, so he didn't know what else he was expecting.

Before long, he heard panting, like a rabid dog.

_Ahh…Blonsky, you finally decide to grace me with your presence…_

Sure enough the lumbering moron slowed to a stop near Thomas. He held out his arm, in it, was a very unconscious Alice.

"Damn, Lenny, do you HAVE to pet all the mice?"

Blonsky frowned.

"It's a book. Of Mice and Men."

He cocked his head questioningly.

"YES, I DO read…some. Even though John Malkovich was SUPERB in the film adaptation…"

He was certain he saw the brute roll its eyes.

"Are they chasing you?"

He nodded once.

"Good, good. And Flux as well?"

Another nod.

"Amazing. Let me take her and you keep them running, Ace."

Blonsky handed Alice over to him. She wasn't as heavy as he thought she'd be.

_Check for a tracking device…_

He quickly pulled off her necklace and bracelets, not sensing anything out of the ordinary besides some VERY expensive jewelry.

"Damn, Bruce. Doing pretty well for yourself, aren't you?"

His eyes settled on the earrings. He took them off and could feel one of them buzzing. He dropped them both on the ground with the other jewelry. A sense of accomplishment overwhelmed him. It was times like this that he missed Leonard. That idiot would congratulate him if he picked his nose successfully.

"See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya," he said as he and Alice faded into the matrix. It was just as easy as it had been the last time he took her.

* * *

**Steve**

Steve opened the manhole cover and peered down into the sewer, shining his flashlight around. His nose crinkled of its own accord.

He turned towards Natasha, "Now what?"

She was staring at her Starkphone. "Wait for it…"

There was a sudden rumbling, Steve jumped back, worried he was about to be coated in sewage.

Instead, he saw two HUGE green blurs race by.

He turned towards Nat, who smirked smugly.

Steve started to climb down, but she stopped him. "Just a sec…"

A glowing blur raced by just then. Tony.

"Okay, but where's—"Steve began. Nat pointed straight up, and Clint landed noiselessly beside him.

"How did you-?"

"Tracking app," said Natasha.

"Yeah, Tony bugged everyone before we left," said Clint.

Steve wouldn't doubt it.

"I mean…bugged as in wires…not as in the way he usually bugs us," he smirked.

Steve couldn't really smile or joke, not when things were so dire.

"Blonsky has Alice," he said shortly, reminding Clint of their mission.

The smile fell off Clint's face. "Let's go," he dropped down into the sewer and broke out into a run.

Steve and Natasha followed suit and they raced in the direction they had seen the blurs going.

They came to a spot where the pipe branched out. They had to wait for Nat to configure the tracking device before choosing a tunnel and running again. Steve couldn't go as fast as he could, because he would leave Nat and Clint in the dust...so to speak.

The pipe branched again and Natasha pointed them in the right direction.

"That can't be right…" she said, slowing and staring alternately where they were going and at her screen.

"What?"

"Tony stopped at the end of this tunnel," she touched her headpiece, "Stark? Tony? Do you copy?"

She turned to Steve, shaking her head.

Fearing the worst, he raced ahead.

He found Tony leaning up against the tunnel. All the lights on his suit were off.

He grabbed the face plate and pulled it off to see Tony staring in bewilderment at him.

"What gives, Captain Crunch? Why'd you have to go and break my suit?"

"You weren't responding, I thought…we thought…" Steve gestured behind him to where Nat and Clint were running towards them.

"Battery died. I need a freshly charged suit. This was all I had in the car and it was at half battery when I put it on."

"Is he okay?" Nat asked, out of breath.

"Aww…were you worried, Natasha?"

"Worried that we'd have to drag your metal ass around behind us like Weekend at Bernie's meets Robocop? Yes."

"Ouch. Such harsh words, but I know deep down...mmph!" Tony slid over to the side. "Oh…gross…now I need a shower…" He struggled to sit again.

"Pull it together, Stark. They have Alice. Bruce is with them now, I'm certain."

"Chillax, Grandpa. I have tracking devices on all of you. Alice has one in her earring. Just search code name 'Red Queen' on your tracking app."

Natasha tapped her screen a few times before she and Clint took off in the direction they'd been running.

Steve started to follow, but Tony stopped him. "Wait a sec, Cap. Can I borrow your phone?"

He handed it over.

Tony tapped the screen a few times, likely typing in commands. "Open the nearest manhole cover, if you don't mind…"

Steve quickly obliged him.

He stood and turned with his back to Steve. "Could you hit the red button under the jet pack, please?"

Steve did and the suit took itself off Tony and folded neatly into a small box. He stood there in his tuxedo pants and dress shirt.

"What happens if some guy that you're fighting finds out about that?"

"Only works if the power's dead. Nifty, huh?"

"Yeah."

"You might want to move to the side."

Steve quickly moved as the suit flew down the manhole, attaching itself to Tony's body.

Tony threw the dead suit up onto the street. "JARVIS, send someone for that, please. Track the Black Widow." He paused for a moment. "Let's go, Cap."

They set off down the pipe, Tony flying quickly and Steve finally able to run as fast as he could. They caught up with Clint and Natasha in no time. They were standing at the end of a dry tunnel where it began to fork.

"You didn't have to wait for us…"

"Her tracking device says she's here," said Nat, gesturing to the screen.

"Well, it's wrong. She's not here," said Steve, looking around.

"Nope, but her jewelry is…" Clint picked up a handful of familiar pieces. Her necklace, watch, bracelet and earrings.

"Her scent trail ends here too," a gruff voice said behind him. He turned sharply to see Logan standing impatiently.

"Where the fuck did you come from?" asked Tony. "I'm sorry…do you live here?" he looked around the sewage pipe. "Is this your living room? Should I take off my shoes?"

Logan rolled his eyes and ignored Tony for the most part. "I've been around."

Steve didn't really trust him as far as he could throw him. Well…maybe that wasn't a good example.

Clint seemed to share his sentiments. While the archer's face didn't give away his thoughts, he was also watching the mutant rather closely.

Steve forced his mind to think about the problem at hand.

"Did you try tracking Bruce? Don't his shorts have a tracking device IN THEM?" he asked hesitantly. It was such a simple solution, he wasn't sure if it could be right.

"Oh. My. Fuck. I didn't even think to do that…" Natasha swore as she quickly set the app to track Bruce. "This way!" she called over her shoulder.

Tony zoomed off in the same direction, but Steve saw Clint following Logan in the opposite direction.

_Good._

He hung back with Natasha, letting Tony get ahead.

* * *

**Clint**

_Stay back, in the black, don't make a sound. Stay back, in the black, don't make a sound._

Clint repeated his training mantra over and over in his head. It kept him calm. He needed to be calm. Logan was a tracker as well and worse, he had a keener sense of smell.

Although Clint wasn't certain he envied that at this precise moment, sneaking through a sewer full of well…shit.

He followed him for a long while.

Logan took so many turns and detours, Clint figured he knew he was being followed. Too bad that he was being followed by one of the best—

_Hell, who am I kidding?_

THE BEST tracker SHIELD had to offer.

When he finally surfaced, he climbed up the ladder halfway before turning back to look Clint dead in the eye. "Not bad, kid."

_Who was right? I was. I was right._

Clint stepped out. "Who are you calling kid?"

"I might have a couple on ya, Bub."

He followed him up the ladder, still not trusting the hairy mutant at all. For all they knew, HE was working as a double agent for Ryker.

"Where are you going?" Clint asked.

"Same place they are, I'm just following a scent."

"I thought you lost the scent."

"Alice's. I picked up another one there where hers left off…"

"Blonsky?" offered Clint.

"Nope. Something else."

"Has it occurred to you that you could be tracking a rat?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "I KNOW what rats smell like."

"It could be a rat king."

"If it was a rat king, we'd have caught it by now, those don't move very fast, since they usually have about twenty legs or so…"

"Maybe it's a cockamouse."

"Those don't exist."

"My old apartment begs to differ," Clint said under his breath.

"It's not an animal. I'm tracking a human."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, man."

"You're lucky I don't kill you."

Clint snorted. "Okay."

"Just…shut up."

He smirked as he followed Logan.

"Where is this taking us, or will you not know until we get there?"

"The scent's still faint. About 20 miles or so to go."

"We're just walking it?"

"Should we call a taxi?" scoffed the mutant.

"I could have a SHIELD vehicle here in about 5 minutes."

"No one else comes with us," Logan said abruptly.

"Fine, but I'm driving it. You're not insured."

Logan rolled his eyes.

"I'll bet you need to have your head out the window anyway."

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Logan said dryly.

* * *

**A short drive later**

They emerged from the woods, having parked the car on the other side.

"Incredible. We're in the middle of nowhere. Great nose, Logan," Clint scoffed, looking around at the NOTHING that surrounded them.

"Look, BARTON, it's nearby, I can smell it," Logan insisted.

The archer started to climb a nearby tree to get a better vantage point, when they both heard a feral roar. It was very familiar.

They looked at each other for an instant before running towards the sound. They burst into a clearing to see what looked like an army base, surrounded by chain link fence with barbed wire at the top. Probably electrified, by the looks of it. Looks like they found Fort Monmouth. Logan certainly had some nose on him.

Clint saw Tony flying around a mass brawl of green bodies. Steve was on the outskirts, keeping back the soldiers who tried to gun Tony down.

_Natasha…where's Nat? _

Clint scanned the area and saw her pop out from behind the guard tower, shooting a few soldiers here and there.

Logan was talking, mumbling things under his breath. Or maybe to Clint, he wasn't paying attention.

He looked further, spying Alice's green evening gown on top of one of the shorter buildings. Most likely the HQ. She was struggling with someone.

_Bruce, Tony, Steve, Natasha, Thor's not on Earth, Alice up top…I'm here, Logan's there…_

"Come on, Slick. We have to go help."

"Shh," Clint shushed him while he quickly calculated his trajectory and took aim and shot at the mystery assailant.

"Who the fuck did you shoot?" asked Logan.

"Beats me. I did a head count first. Let's go."

He heard the familiar **_SNIKT_**as Logan unleashed his claws.

They ran towards the base at breakneck speeds.

* * *

**Steve**

"Alright, so we're sure that's Blonsky's base?" asked Tony.

"Fort Monmouth. New Jersey. Plus, Banner's tracker says he's here," replied Natasha.

"I don't hear anything, though…" Steve said warily. This had all the signs of a trap.

"Maybe they're being quiet," said Tony.

"And maybe I have lobsters crawling out of my ears…" Steve muttered under his breath.

"Want me to call backup?" asked Nat.

"Not yet," Steve replied, "Wait and make sure we're not on a wild goose chase."

"His tracker says he's here!" she protested, handing him her phone.

Sure enough, Banner's tracker was moving around the base. Steve looked up and squinted, not sure if he was missing them somehow.

"Are they in that warehouse?" he asked, just as Flux and the Hulk burst through the ground just beyond the electrified fence.

"Oh, there they are," quipped Tony sarcastically. "Sucks to be you guys. They busted out of the sewer, I bet that smell is just—Oh no…JARVIS, the air filter, THE AIR FILTER!"

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Orders, Captain?"

"Stark, you're in the air. Try to split Flux's focus so he's not beating on Hulk so much."

"Got it, Cap," Tony coughed.

"Natasha, Find Alice and get her to safety."

She nodded.

"I'll take care of ground units and cover both of you as best I can. Where's Clint?"

"No idea, he's far enough away that he's not showing up on the tracking app."

"I really wish he was here, we could use some crowd control."

"Wish in one hand and sh—" Tony was interrupted by the other mutate, Abomination, bursting through the ground where Flux and Hulk had just emerged. Hulk was really outnumbered and at a disadvantage. They couldn't afford to wait for Barton any longer.

"Go. Now," Steve called, as they ran into the fray.

* * *

**Alice**

When she awoke, her head hurt. Badly. She groaned and opened her eyes.

Big mistake.

She closed them again and tried to sit up. She was already up.

She forced her eyes open again, blinking against the bright lights suddenly flooding her vision. She could see shapes moving around in front of her, the pain in her head was the worst, but she also registered a different sort of pain in her wrists. She blinked more, trying to force her eyes into focus.

She was wearing gloves. Metal gloves. Up to her elbows.

"What the hell…?" she asked groggily.

"She's awake! She's AWAKE!" a male voice yelled excitedly.

"Just in time, too," another said.

As her eyes focused more, she looked around at a dozen or so unfamiliar faces.

"Where am I?" she asked.

No one answered, but they mumbled excitedly to each other. They were wearing fatigues.

_Military. Army. Soldiers? _ She thought to herself.

There were more shapes, further away. It was loud, but somehow muffled. Her vision blurred.

"The big ape probably gave her a concussion…" said a very familiar voice.

Alice felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. She turned sharply, only to cry out in pain.

"Careful now…you got quite a big bonk on the head there…" Thomas' face came into view. He looked into her eyes and reached up to touch her forehead. She flinched away.

"Aww…so damn CUTE when you're mad…"

She reared back and spat in his face.

He chuckled and wiped cheek. "I like you, Alice."

"I HATE you."

"Hate is such a strong word."

"Not strong enough," she spat.

"She's awake?" a new voice exclaimed, it was coming from behind her.

She fought the instinct to turn, waiting instead for the voice's owner to walk around in front of her.

An older man with salt and pepper hair cut short in a crew cut came into view. He was wearing an officer's uniform. If she had to wager a guess, she'd say she was in the presence of General Ryker.

"Alice Vorso…in the flesh. So pleased to finally meet you. I'm sure you have the same attitude, do you?"

She remained silent.

"Let's see if you're as amazing as your colleague here seems to think you are…"

"He's no colleague of mine," she growled, glaring at Thomas.

Ryker smiled coldly. He nodded towards one of the soldiers. Most of them disappeared from view.

The shapes in the distance were finally starting to become clear. Large, green monsters. 3 of them, all fighting with each other. She couldn't pick out the Other Guy, but she knew he was there. She tried to reach out, to find his energy, but she couldn't for some reason.

There was a blurry light flitting around them.

_Tony, _she thought desperately.

Suddenly, her hands began to rise in front of her, her skin burning and itching.

She gawked, alarmed.

"These gloves are pretty neat. They work the same way as a robotic limb, but in reverse. They stimulate your nerves to move, even though your brain is fighting the commands."

She could feel her arms powering up, ready to shoot out gamma bolts.

"Not MY personal invention, something I 'borrowed'."

The image of Samson entered her mind briefly.

"NO!" she cried. He was going to make her shoot someone. Tony.

She attempted to regain control, to fight it. But it was like she was trying to hold her breath. She could only hold it for so long before gasping for air.

She yelped as the beam burst from her hands, shooting out and down, down, down, just past Tony (much to her momentary relief) and into Flux.

She felt herself fill with dread.

Her arms charged up again, too soon, they were still hurting from the last beam.

Another green burst of gamma energy shot forth and went into the other new mutate. Blonsky, she guessed, by process of elimination.

The Other Guy roared as both of the super charged behemoths laid into him.

"Why? Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted something from us, how are you going to get it if he's dead?" she whimpered.

"He won't die, you know that. I just want to break his will. And yours. I want your friends, your saviors to die in front of you. I want you to see it happen so you won't fight me."

"I'd rather kill myself than let you anywhere NEAR any of my children."

"I'll have to make sure NOT to let that happen, then, won't I?" hissed Ryker, his breath stinking like old coffee.

"Well…actually, I'LL have to make sure not to let it happen…" Thomas said suddenly, breaking the tension. "Because…I'm not sure you're going to be around much longer, dude."

"What are you DOING? You fucking mutant—"

"CURSE my sudden but inevitable betrayal!" Thomas cried out gleefully.

He held his hand out, narrowing his eyes and focusing on Ryker. The general dropped to the ground, his hands over his ears. The expression on his face changed from one of rage to one of fear.

"Please, don't do this, you promised you'd help me find her…"

"And I did. Of course, that might've been for my own selfish motives and not really to help you. Because, let's face it Ryker, you have no right to anyone's child. No child deserves to be poked and prodded and used to further someone else's agenda," Thomas spat. "Maybe I'm just being an old softie since Alice and I go WAY back, but I never intended to let you fulfill your plan. It ends here. Unfortunately, so do you."

He stared at Ryker, as he convulsed and coughed, his body seizing violently. Blood spurted from his ears and mouth as he tried to rip off his headset. Finally, his body was still.

Alice was thankful that she didn't have to deal with Ryker but then again, she now had to deal with Thomas.

"Why did you do that?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, Alice…isn't it obvious?" Thomas grinned, "I need a favor."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"First things first…now, this MIGHT sting a little," he said semi-apologetically. He held out his hand towards hers.

She screeched as she felt her skin singe where it touched the metal gloves.

"Okay, more than a little…"

She screeched again, her hands burning and sore by the time the power overloaded and the gloves fell from her hands.

She held them up in front of her, noting the white blisters forming where her skin was touching metal. She looked up at Thomas, her eyes wide.

"The tiniest of favors, Alice. From you and Bruce."

"NO."

"Just the smallest…you won't even notice it…"

"This was your way of asking me for a favor? You have got to be—"

"Enough chit chat, Alice. Drain those morons and get Brucey up here."

"Do you—are you even aware of—you know what? Fuck you. You ruined my life."

"I ruined your…YOUR LIFE?"

"Yes. I was FINE until you had to FUCK it all up!"

"I fucked it all up how? HOW?"

"Bruce and I were…"

"Bruce…ha ha. BRUCE. You wouldn't even BE WITH Bruce if it weren't for me."

She frowned.

"Do you think that your stupid, STUPID ex-boyfriend could have done ANYTHING that he did on his own? He was a moron. Right up 'til the end."

"Zeke…"

"Was an asshole, true. All wrong for you, darling. BUT, who do you think clued him in on your mutation? A bigoted creep like him, he cheated on you, sure. But there was NO WAY you'd have ever left him if he hadn't distanced himself. Bruce has everything you need to reach your full potential. How do you think you got that job with Stark Industries? Do you really think it was based off your resume and Zeke's recommendation? I DELETED all other worthy applicants, sweet pea. You had to find Dr. Banner. Now, I don't care one way or the other about your _relationship_, but you NEEDED his gamma radiation to realize what you could do."

"Why are you telling me this?" she felt overwhelmed and violated.

"I need you to help me."

"No," she snapped.

_Like hell, you creepy bastard._

"Even after everything I've done for you?"

She crossed her arms.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make you…" He grabbed her arm, causing her to yelp as his hand pressed on the fresh burns from the gloves. "Hold STILL, wiggle worm!"

**SCHHWAFF!**

Thomas looked down to see an arrow protruding from his chest. "Fuck me sideways…" he faded blue and was gone.

Alice looked around. Clint was nearby, but she couldn't see him.

She looked down at the fight below, unsure of how to fix it.

Steve and Natasha burst in through the door to the roof, looking around.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, running over to her.

She nodded, "Yeah…just…shaken up is all…"

"What happened to your arms?"

She looked down at the angry red blisters and welts on her wrists and hands. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she finally registered the intense pain in her arms.

She looked over at the gloves, lying unremarkably on the ground where she'd been standing.

Steve pressed his lips together, nodding. Probably realizing she didn't want to talk about it.

"What happened to Ryker?" asked Natasha, inspecting his dead body.

"Thomas killed him," Alice said absently, almost unable to process all that had just happened.

"Where the FUCK is Barton?" Natasha wondered aloud as she looked down to the ground. Soldiers were surrounding the building, obviously unaware that their leader lay dead on its roof.

"He's here. He shot Thomas."

"He did?!"

"Yeah, then he disappeared into the matrix, though…" she felt like she was on auto pilot, reciting a script.

"Oh…but you said Clint's here?"

At that moment, a few of the soldiers began dropping, arrows in their backs. Clint broke through their ranks. Natasha covered him from the roof. He ran up the stairs, joining them.

"What happened to all the guys in the HQ?"

"All dead when we got here, something fried their brains."

"Thomas, probably. That's how he killed Ryker…fried him through his headset," Alice said quietly.

The others stared at her for a moment, looking worried at her strangely tranquil demeanor.

"Did you bring back up?" asked Steve hopefully.

"Logan," said Clint, gesturing down to the ground, where the man in question was fending off soldier after soldier.

"Where's all the SHIELD back up?!"

"I never called any," said Natasha.

"WHY NOT?"

"YOU TOLD ME TO WAIT!"

"YEAH, TO WAIT AND MAKE SURE THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE!"

"WELL, THINGS STARTED HAPPENING!"

Natasha immediately started calling in backup.

Steve ran downstairs to fend off soldiers that managed to get through Logan and in the door.

"There's too many of them," Alice whispered, looking out into the fight again. Too many soldiers, too many giant gamma mutates. Too many.

"Remember the speed traps we were working on?" asked Clint, ignoring her pessimistic statement.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stick one on Abom, there? Are you able to do that?"

"Sure…" she said, not entirely certain of what he was planning.

She stretched her hand forward, feeling the itch as the blob exploded from her hand. It was a similar process to making the barriers. Instead of string, it came out like sticky hair gel.

It attached itself to Blonsky's back.

"Perfect, thanks kid."

Clint drew another arrow and shot it into the blob. It stuck perfectly inches from the scales on Blonsky's back.

Abomination turned violently, trying to pull at the arrow.

It exploded, blowing a chunk out of his back. He howled, falling forward.

With Blonsky out of the picture for the moment, the Other Guy and Tony began focusing on Flux.

Alice began to siphon from him, hoping to get enough energy so she could buff the Hulk.

Flux roared, jumping high in the air and bringing his fist down on Tony.

Tony was thrown into the ground. He lay there unmoving. His suit sparked a bit before the light went out.

The Other Guy roared.

Alice felt sick.

_Tony?!_

Clint frowned.

At that moment a chunk of building flew towards them. _ Blonsky_.

Alice quickly formed a protective bubble around herself and Clint. The rock bounced off it and flew back down to the ground in the direction it came from. It hit a few of the soldiers who were still gathered around the building.

Alice choked.

They were losing. The Avengers were losing. Tony was down. Natasha was shooting with one hand and calling for help with the other. If help wasn't on its way now, they'd never get here in time. Steve was nowhere to be found, probably fighting soldiers downstairs. Alice knew what she had to do. She gulped, trying not to throw up.

She closed her eyes and thought of Bruce. She held onto his image as she felt her arms erupt in flames and her body began to float.

She floated down towards the fight. Everyone stopped to stare at her. All parties had frozen. She surrounded the chunk of building on the ground with green gamma energy. Then used her mind to squeeze it into dust. She had no idea how she thought of these things. It just seemed like she already knew how to solve every problem as it was presented.

"Alice…" Logan whispered.

"I'm still me, Logan," her voice sounded strange.

"You don't have to…"

"But, I do," She felt tears drip down her cheeks, cold at first and sizzling out by the time they dripped near her chin.

The tears were in fear of what was to come. They were because of the extreme pain she felt. Excruciating. She hated this so much.

Abomination was gone. She already knew that. He'd run off when she had floated down to ground level. He'd be a force to contend with later.

She could tell how many people were here. How many soldiers, what they looked like, everything.

She turned towards the Other Guy and Tony.

She knit a small platform under Tony's body and lifted his seemingly lifeless form, floating it up on top of the building with Clint. He wasn't dead, only knocked out and injured. She wasn't sure how she was aware of that, but she was. She detected life. He was okay.

"He's fine, Clint," she said, "just get him out of his suit." She turned towards the Other Guy. It was time to clean house.

"GIRL…" he began.

"Hulk?" she whispered, he nodded. "SMASH!" she commanded, sending a stream of pure gamma energy into his body. He grew and charged the approaching soldiers, swatting them out of the way like flies. She hated telling him to smash people. Soldiers especially. But, it had to be done. These people were so brainwashed, they wouldn't stop until they were all dead. And the Avengers were too important to the Earth.

Soon, MORE soldiers appeared, guns were pointed at her. They must have been hiding in the barracks or something.

She wove a barrier, more intricate than anything she'd ever made before.

The bullets were absorbed, sticking to each other in the barrier.

She closed her eyes and stretched the barrier, bringing it up over her head, over their heads, meticulously lining up bullets with weak spots in their armor. She dropped her arms and with it the barrier fell with great force, the bullets lodging themselves in each and every soldier.

They all fell with a loud flop.

She looked back to Flux. Looked into his bright green eyes full of pain. He blinked, and just like that, she had access to his energy. She knew she'd have to kill him and he seemed to know it too.

She siphoned enough to build a reverse barrier. She wove a bubble around him, enclosing him completely.

He was still, staring at her. Weakened from the siphon.

She began to squeeze it, much like she had with the chunk of building.

The bubble began to shrink.

"Alice…" Steve called to her.

She could hear Clint in the distance. "He's not fighting you, STOP!"

"It's what has to be done," she said simply. "I have to do this."

The bubble shrank more. He knelt down, she was still siphoning from him. His muscles melted away, leaving behind a normal sized man. Still, she shrunk the barrier.

Thick hot tears dripped down her face as she pressed more, feeling no resistance coming from the man who was ready to die. He cried out, though. Loudly.

She felt the tears sliding off her cheeks. Her vision became cloudy, but she didn't really need it at this point. Her eyes burned. The tears felt toxic, foreign.

She took a deep breath, and twisted the top of the bubble. The part around his head. His neck snapped and he fell forward, still.

The Other Guy was sitting down. Once Flux had changed back, she had to switch her siphon to him. He'd turn back into Bruce soon enough.

She blinked, taking a step backwards the heat left her body. She collapsed to the ground and Logan pulled her away. She wiped at her eyes, not even half surprised to see blood on her hands instead of tears.

"Bruce…" Alice reached for him. He was lying asleep on the ground. Logan pulled him beside Alice.

Everything was finally quiet.

Alice laid back and closed her eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so I switched perspectives a LOT in this chapter, I hope it wasn't too confusing. I had a HARD TIME with this chapter. I'm not good at action, I'm good at feels. So, anyway, I hope I wrote this well. **

**I wrote in Clint's perspective for the first time ever. I hope I did him justice. **

**Alice is...not in a good place after this...I'm afraid. Not at all. **

**I hope I didn't lose anybody after this chapter, there was a LOT happening. Basically, Alice has been working with Dr. X on anchoring herself while utilizing her powers. Unfortunately, when she does that, she remembers everything and has to make decisions. Whereas, before, she did whatever would do the most good in the end. Here, though, she's aware of the decisions she has to make, but she doesn't want to make them. Yikes. **

**Chapter 18 on Sunday. So, you don't have too long to wait to find out how everyone's doing. Then, after that, I'm going back to once a week updates for the last two chapters of this story. I wish I could tell you that things start looking up from here, but they don't. **

**We'll suffice it to say that Thomas didn't die. I mean, I'm sure you didn't think he did. **

**Oh, and Blonsky...Blonsky got the heck out of dodge when Alice started floating. He's going to come back later in the series, but for now, he's gone. **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice and Thomas. **

**Please favorite/follow/review if you feel so inclined. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N at the end. Song for this chapter is 'Green Eyes' by Coldplay. Warnings: Language, Mentions of Violence, PTSD, Depression and Bruce is kind of an ass.**

* * *

**Bruce**

When he woke up, she wasn't there. He panicked, sitting straight up in bed. He looked around, his eyes focusing and un-focusing.

_I'm in the med bay…_

He threw back the blanket, jumping to his feet. Blood rushed to his head and he staggered, bumping the side table and knocking a glass of water onto the floor. It shattered by his feet.

Steve rushed into the room.

"Sorry, sorry, I had to use the restroom!" he apologized, holding his hands in front of him.

"Where is she?" Bruce ground out, feeling sick to his stomach. He didn't want to move, for fear of cutting his foot.

"She's in the hospital wing, she's here!"

Steve grabbed a broom and dustpan from behind the desk and quickly swept up the broken glass.

"Oh," Bruce felt himself calm down. He sat back down on the bed, holding his head in one hand and steadying himself with the other. He looked down at his front. He was dressed.

"Who dressed me?"

"Um…I did. I felt…uncomfortable…"

Bruce chuckled, "More uncomfortable than you felt while dressing a grown man?"

"About the same, actually," Steve admitted with a small smile.

"Is Alice okay? You said she was in the med bay?"

"She…wasn't feeling well," said Steve nervously. His tone was worrisome.

Bruce frowned, "What do you mean?"

"There was…an incident…it wasn't good, Bruce."

"What happened?" He felt his heart jump up into his throat. "Is she okay? She's okay, right? Can I see her?"

"It was Flux. She…" Steve gulped, he looked shaken.

"CAPTAIN ROGERS. IS SHE OKAY?"

"She's not hurt badly. She sustained some second and third degree burns on her hands, but she's okay."

Steve was beating around the bush. It bothered Bruce that Tony wasn't here. Tony always briefed him on what happened after a Hulk out.

"What? Where's Tony?"

"He was injured, he's in the hospital wing as well."

Bruce shook his head, he couldn't deal with all of this now.

"Tell me what happened to Alice. Please, Steve."

The super soldier took a deep breath, pulling up the desk chair. He leaned against the desk. "Take a seat."

"Just tell me so I can go see her," Bruce pleaded quietly. He closed his eyes.

_I can't…I just…I can't…_

"You can't see her, not right now. She's…not stable," he looked at Bruce meaningfully.

"What?"

"She remained aware during everything, even when she went all…floaty."

Bruce nodded, "She's been working on that with Dr. Xavier."

"Well, since she remained aware, she remembers everything she did…and what she DID…was not…I mean…it WAS good in the end, but…it was awful, what she had to do."

Bruce felt his stomach drop.

"What happened?"

"Well, she saved us all. We were losing. There were too many of them. Too many soldiers, too many gamma mutates, we were all outnumbered. It was woefully apparent that without you, we are at an extreme disadvantage."

"So she saved us…that's good, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes…but she had to kill 50 soldiers and a gamma mutation to do it."

Bruce sat down in the proffered chair. "God…"

Steve nodded, "I saw it. I—"

"And?"

"She did what needed to be done," he said stiffly.

_Oh, Alice…_

"I should be with her. She can't be alone…"

"Logan's with her right now. He's the only one who can be in the room because when she sleeps, she has flashbacks. And when she wakes up, she's on fire."

"On fire?"

Steve nodded, looking down.

"Logan's with her?"

He nodded again.

Bruce felt his heart rate increase. HE should be with her. Not Logan.

"Did everyone see?" he asked, his voice thick and wavering.

"Yes. Clint, Nat, Logan, Me…Tony was unconscious."

"And Flux is...?"

"Dead. She killed him. It was brutal, but merciful."

"How?"

He wanted to know. Wanted to know everything.

"She…um…broke his neck with one of her barriers. She shrunk it around him and manipulated it."

"And the soldiers?"

"They were brainwashed, they weren't going to back down. She killed them with their own bullets. Simultaneously. It was…frightening and amazing at the same time."

"And she remembers…"

"Every single second."

"Oh…Alice…" Bruce shook his head, almost unable to process it. She wasn't like that, she wasn't a killer. There was a good reason. But it was still horrible. No wonder she was in such a bad place.

He clenched and unclenched his hands. He didn't know what to do with himself if he couldn't be with her. He felt empty. He should be with her, holding her, feeling the weight of her head on his chest and the pressure of her hands in his.

"She's being hailed as a hero. The newest Avenger. For what she did for those people at Tony's party," said Steve. He made it sound like a consolation prize or something.

_Your girlfriend killed 50 people, BUT she's being hailed as a hero for it. _

Bruce didn't know how to process that information, so he simply said, "Okay."

"Peter Parker even gave her a name: Haven."

"It suits her," he said quietly.

"Yeah. He said she 'creates safety for those who need it. She's the epitome of the word'."

_But she also creates something very different for those who don't deserve it._

"What about Thomas?" He needed to change the subject.

"Clint shot him and he disappeared into the matrix. So, we don't know what happened to him. He could be dead."

"I won't believe it until I see a body. Probably not even then."

"Alice said it pierced his chest."

"Does SHE think he's dead?"

"No," said Steve, shaking his head.

"Then neither do I," said Bruce definitively. He wasn't going to doubt her anymore. He didn't care if they locked the two of them up together at the nut house. He'd go willingly as long as she knew he believed her.

Steve nodded, biting his lip worriedly. "She's in a bad place, Bruce," he said quietly, but firmly.

"She's been here before. She'll bring herself out of it. She's strong."

"I don't doubt that she IS strong, but this is the worst I've ever seen her."

"Well, you're not that close with her are you?" snapped Bruce. He was entirely sick of hearing everyone's opinion. He wanted to see her for himself.

"Bruce, look…I'm just trying to tell you DELICATELY that you might want to be a little more sensitive to her feelings."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, with the way you handled the Thomas thing before…"

"I HANDLED that the best way I knew how."

"By telling her she was crazy and refusing to believe her?"

"You didn't believe her either!"

"I'M not her boyfriend! I'M not the person she trusts with her deepest thoughts."

Bruce took a deep breath, determined to go see Alice. He wasn't about to let a little tiff with Captain America get in the way.

"Steve, no offence, I can handle it," he stood and walked towards the door.

"Can you? Really?"

Bruce rounded on him, "What's your problem, ROGERS?"

"I just don't want you to hurt her anymore," Steve punctuated haltingly.

"I don't have to listen to this coming from you…"

His blood was boiling. He wanted to see Alice.

"You have to listen to someone. You don't listen to her."

Bruce turned sharply, pointing his finger up in Steve's face. "Look, I care about her. I LOVE her. I know her better than I've known anyone and if she was having a problem…"

"She'd gloss over it to make sure you weren't uncomfortable," finished Steve.

Bruce sputtered for a moment, "Rogers, you don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"Neither do you, BANNER."

"She'll be fine," he ground out. "What room is she in?'

"Her usual," Steve said, his voice laced with the tiniest bit of malice.

"Thanks," Bruce said curtly. He turned to leave, but stopped to turn back once more. "I'd thank you to stay out of my business. I don't need relationship advice from someone who has never had one."

Steve's nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed. "No problem."

Bruce turned to leave again, stalking to the elevator and trying not to let it show that he was still dizzy.

As the elevator doors closed, he leaned back against the wall. He steadied his breathing, trying to calm himself down. The last thing he needed today was a 'talking-to' from Captain fucking America.

_Where does Steve get off talking to me that way? He has NO IDEA what goes on in Alice's and my relationship. NO IDEA. _

"Where to, Dr. Banner?" JARVIS asked.

"Oh…sorry, JARVIS…"

"Quite alright, Doctor."

"The hospital wing, please."

"Right away."

He closed his eyes to stop from swaying when the elevator started moving.

_Steve just doesn't get it. He doesn't know how Alice and I are. He only knows what it looks like from the outside…wait…does she really look that unhappy?_

Bruce resolved to talk with her about it as soon as possible. Hopefully when he got down to the hospital wing.

"Hospital wing, Dr. Banner. Give Ms. Vorso my regards."

"Will do. Thanks, JARVIS."

"Don't mention it, sir."

He exited the elevator and walked down the hall to the room where Alice had been kept before. He peered in through the window. It was dark, he could barely make out her figure on the bed and Logan's in a chair.

He felt a flare of jealousy. HE should be the one beside her.

He put his hand on the doorknob.

"Dr. Banner?"

"Yes?" he asked, turning towards the voice.

A nurse approached him, but was shrinking back at the same time. "You can't go in there, sir, I'm sorry."

"Why not? I'm her emergency contact."

"I know that, sir, but she's dangerous. She burned one of our other nurses. Accidentally, of course, but we can't take any chances…and with your…condition…"

"Right, right…my CONDITION," he spat. "My condition that keeps me from being there when my girlfriend needs me."

The nurse jumped. "Dr. Banner, I can get the on-call physician if you'd rather…"

"Of course I'd rather," he snapped.

He waited for the doctor, keeping vigil outside her door.

Logan wasn't moving. It looked like he was asleep.

_Asleep beside MY girlfriend. _

Bruce knew deep down it was better that someone was with her. He should be grateful for Logan's mutation. That it kept Alice from being alone when she needed someone, but he just couldn't. Not in light of recent events.

The doctor arrived, standing awkwardly behind him for an unknown amount of time before Bruce saw him standing there.

"Dr. Martin?" Bruce asked, holding out his hand.

"Close. Murphy," he said nervously, shaking hands limply.

"Dr. Murphy, right…sorry," Bruce tried to file the name away for later.

"Dr. Banner, I was told you wanted to speak with me about Ms. Vorso?"

"Yes. I was wondering when I would be able to see her…"

"Well, when she's able to control her…reaction…upon awakening. We'd like no more incidents if we can help it. I'm sure you understand."

Bruce nodded. "Right, but did you think that perhaps MY presence might help her to—"

"I'm sorry," Dr. Murphy smiled thinly. "I know you're anxious to be with her again, but we can't risk a Hulk incident."

Bruce took a deep breath and smiled tightly. "YOU'RE the doctor, so I guess you know best. Even though…it IS gamma radiation we're discussing here. Which just so happens to be MY specialty…"

"Yes, that's true. But PEOPLE are my specialty and I'm afraid I must insist that you wait until she's more stable."

Bruce bit his lip painfully to make himself stop talking. He nodded simply and turned to walk down the hall to Tony's room.

Tony was lying in bed with a neck brace. His face lit up when Bruce walked in the door.

"Hey Big Guy, I was wondering when I would see you."

"They won't let me go see Alice," said Bruce abruptly.

"Oh…" Tony looked hurt. "…Sorry, dude."

"I'M her boyfriend. I'm also the premier scientist when it comes to gamma radiation. It's my FUCKING specialty for FUCK'S sake…" he clenched his fists tightly and sat down in the chair beside Tony's bed.

"Okay, buddy. I think you need to go do some yoga, light up, whatever it is that YOU do to calm down."

"I don't DO anything anymore. SHE calms me down, SHE keeps me centered, but SHE'S in there and they WON'T let me see her."

"So it sounds like you need to pick up a bad habit. Cigarette?"

"No," Bruce scowled, slumping down in the chair.

"Okay, well, I don't have any pot on me RIGHT now, but I could call Clint. He's my guy. Alice might actually have some floating around your apartment if you look hard enough…"

"What?"

"Some…uh…shit. She's going to kill me."

"Okay, I don't have time to process THAT right now…"

"Do you wanna punch a kitten?"

Bruce stared at Tony incredulously and shook his head.

"You could offset it by eating soy for the rest of your natural born life…oh wait. You're already doing that."

"I just…I need to see her and make sure she's okay."

"Okay, Bruce…BRUCE? You DO understand why they're not letting you in, right? They carted off a screaming nurse a couple hours ago. She won't be able to use her hands anymore. PLEASE, use your words and tell me you understand why they're not letting you in. I need to hear your mouth say it."

Bruce sighed, "If she wakes up on fire and burns me, I'll Hulk out and destroy the building."

"Not just the building, MANHATTAN."

"Yeah, I GET THAT. But why can't I go in while she's AWAKE? Why can't I go in and talk to her while she's AWAKE? If I go in, I could maybe calm her down."

"No offense, but you're not exactly the epitome of calm right now. And she probably doesn't need more gamma energy to siphon. More stress to deal with. The doctor has a good reason he's not letting you in there. And it's not just because he's a dick."

Bruce nodded. "Okay, okay…"

"You're okay? You're good? Calm? Zen?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Great. Now…fawn over me. Nobody is fawning over me. I'm hurt too."

Bruce chuckled, "Wasn't Pepper here?"

"Well, yeah, but she left."

"There's a press conference, I'm sure."

"But still…she didn't even give me cool sips of water."

"Is that what you want me to do? Give you cool sips of water? Do you want me to momma bird your jello, too?"

"Well…if I have to ASK you to do it, I don't want to twist your arm. I have my pride."

"Okay," said Bruce incredulously. "Want me to turn on the TV for you?"

The remote was out of his reach and while Tony's injury wasn't life threatening, it DID look painful.

"Nah, just whenever you leave. I like talking. Makes my brain less muddy."

"What uh…happened?"

"Got swatted out of the sky by Flux. Like an annoying mosquito."

"Concussion?"

"Yep. Concussion, whiplash, strained neck and shoulders…"

"Ouch."

"Mmmhmm. Not as bad as Alice's arms, though."

Bruce's interest peaked. "What happened with her arms? Steve said she had burns?"

"From what I can gather and you can ask Nat or Steve to back this up, BUT, Ryker had her hooked up to these gloves. They worked the same way bionic limbs work. They detect nerves and work based off that. Except it was backwards, they detected nerves and stimulated them to fire. The gloves were forcing Alice to use her powers."

"Oh…god…" Bruce felt crestfallen.

"Yeah…"

"What did he make her do?"

"Basically she buffed Flux and Blonsky."

"How did she get out?"

"Thomas helped her. At least that's what Logan said she said. I don't have any other information about that part of the fight…I just know that she got out and enacted Alice-justice on everyone there."

"Blonsky?" asked Bruce, suddenly aware that no one had mentioned him.

"He disappeared when Alice went all floaty."

"Great, so no Thomas, and no Blonsky."

"Well, Clint did shoot Thomas."

"We didn't see him die. We don't have a body. For all we know, he can heal himself in the matrix."

"Well, we DON'T know that."

"Alice doesn't think he's dead. I don't either."

"Glad to see you guys are on the same page finally."

Bruce narrowed his eyes.

"Chill, Bruce. Geez…"

"I'm just sick of everyone having an opinion about my personal life."

"You're surprised by this? The fact that you HAVE a personal life is amazing in and of itself."

"What goes on between Alice and I STAYS between Alice and I."

"No offence, Brewsky, but when the fate of our city is hanging in the balance, it becomes a public affair."

"Nobody's fate is hanging in the balance."

"Right. So if you guys were to break up, you wouldn't run away?"

"No. I'd stay here and do what I did before I met her."

"Like hell you would. You'd stay here while she moved on with her life?"

"Just…shut up about it, okay? We're not breaking up."

"I'm just saying…"

"WELL DON'T 'JUST SAY', OKAY?"

"This is what we're talking about Bruce…if you can't even talk about the possibility that—"

"And you're so much better. What if Pepper left you?"

"I'd be devastated," said Tony sincerely.

"Okay then."

"But my devastated doesn't equal a 9 foot tall green temper tantrum."

"No. It equals 45 Iron Man Suits and a Hulkbuster," Bruce said bitterly.

Tony sighed. "Bruce…"

"Why is everyone so convinced that we're going to break up, anyway?"

Tony opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times before answering. "She is not happy, Bruce. You just can't see it because you're in the middle of it."

He swallowed thickly, pressing his lips together. "Fuck. You."

He stood abruptly and left the room.

* * *

**Alice**

She sat up, inhaling sharply. Luckily, this time, no flames were shooting out of her arms. She turned to Logan, breathing heavily.

His eyes were wide, she must have woken him again.

"Can I see Bruce now?" she asked quickly.

"Calm down," Logan said, his tone cautious.

"You said…the doctor said…I could see him if I didn't wake up on fire. I woke up. I'm not on fire. Can I see him?"

He sighed, "I'll ask the nurse." He got up and walked over to the wall across the room where the nurse call button was now.

They'd had to change her room around big time after the first incident. Everything was covered in flame retardant tarpaulin, even the bed.

Alice felt terrible for what she'd done to that nurse. She closed her eyes tightly against the memory of her screams.

It'd been 12 hours of this. She really wanted to see Bruce, but they were worried she'd freak out and burn him, cause him to Hulk out and that would be a huge problem.

At first, she tried to just stay awake, but it was like her body was working against her.

One minute she'd be staring at the wall and the next, she was having horrific nightmares about dead soldiers and huge gamma mutates seeking revenge.

Every time she thought about Flux, her heart rate increased. The way he'd just accepted his fate. It was as if he couldn't see another way out. Surely Tony and Bruce could have helped him. Surely he didn't have to die.

She shook her head rapidly to clear those thoughts as well.

The dreams weren't gone, but she wasn't waking up on fire anymore.

Logan was talking to the nurse. He slowly approached the bed again.

"Hey there, darlin', they want to wait just a little while longer before they send Bruce in. They want to make sure this time wasn't a fluke."

"No. They said…they PROMISED, Logan," her voice broke as tears spilled over her cheeks.

"They just want to be sure, hon."

She sniffed and let out a ragged breath. She understood. She really did, but it didn't make it any easier.

She was thankful that Logan was there, but at the same time, she was on edge and uncomfortable.

"Do you want to talk some more? Charles said you should talk as much as you want about it."

"I suppose…"

"Are you hungry or thirsty? You haven't had anything since Saturday afternoon."

"What day is it?"

"Sunday, almost Monday."

"I'm not hungry right now."

"Are you sure? They'll make whatever you want."

She shook her head obstinately. What she wanted was to be home. She wanted to curl up on the couch and watch Doctor Who. She wanted Bruce to make her a cheese omelet with ketchup and she wanted a cup of tea with sugar and half and half. She wanted normalcy.

She was starting to realize that normal might not be something she could look forward to. That this…she looked around the fireproofed hospital room, from wall to wall and to the man beside the bed. The man who wasn't her boyfriend. Because she was too dangerous to be around her boyfriend right now. All THIS, was her life.

She scratched at her wrist absently and hissed in pain as she remembered why it was itching.

Her hands and wrists were bandaged. Somewhat. Every time she woke up on fire, she charred the bandages again. She pulled at the blackened gauze to reveal the raw pink flesh underneath.

Logan pulled out the antiseptic and squirted it over her whole arm. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. He applied the cooling salve and rewrapped her arm loosely. He repeated it on the other side.

"How's your head?" he asked, peering up at her bandaged forehead.

"Dented, I'm starting to think," she said, bringing one of her gauze covered hands to gingerly pat her head.

"Well, that Blonsky certainly has a lot to learn about how to carry off a lady…" Logan joked.

She rolled her eyes, but immediately regretted it when her head started to ache more.

"I really wish I could take pain killers…"

"Bruce should really get on that. I mean, if you're going to do this, you need something to take the edge off."

"What do you do to take the edge off?"

He smirked knowingly. "I don't think that's appropriate conversation."

She laughed quietly, lying back on the pillow behind her. Everything was crunchy and made her skin sweaty in spite of the chill.

"When do I get real people blankets again?"

"Probably when you stop setting them on fire," he teased.

"Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Want me to ask them if we can take the fire resistant stuff off the bed?"

She nodded.

He walked over to the nurse call button again. He asked them for real blankets. A nurse entered the room shortly after that, leaving a pile of blankets and sheets on the chair by the door before leaving again. She'd barely stuck her arms inside.

"You wanna get up so I can put these on the bed?" asked Logan.

"No. Just slide it under me…" she said facetiously.

"Get up, Fats…" he nudged her shoulder.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up, deciding to go to the bathroom. She groaned when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair badly needed brushing, it was still up in her partial updo from Saturday night.

Someone had been thoughtful enough to change her into her pajamas. She hoped against hope that it hadn't been Logan.

When she returned, he had finished making the bed. The rest of the fireproof tarpaulin was still there, though.

She climbed back up in bed, no easy feat when her hands were burnt and bandaged.

She laid back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. She let out a puff of air, bouncing her foot.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to go to sleep. Then, I can wake up, not be on fire, and Bruce can come in."

"Are you sure it's Bruce you want to see? Or is it the TV you're missing?" Logan joked.

"Bruce most of all. TV's a close second, though."

He chuckled, sitting back and picking at his cuticles.

Sleep came quickly. She reasoned that she must be overtired from the events of the past few days.

**A short while later…**

She sat up in bed, shivering. She looked around. No fire. No flames. She hadn't even dreamed about anything.

She looked over at Logan expectantly.

"Fine. I'll go call the nurse again…" he got up.

She kept all thoughts out of her mind except one: _I get to see Bruce!_

She didn't think she'd ever been more proud of herself than she was right now.

Presently, Bruce opened the door. He looked around the room. He looked at her, as if waiting for permission.

"Bruce…" she whispered.

He crossed the floor quickly.

Logan got up and left, probably sensing that they didn't wish to include him in their moment.

Bruce took her face in his hands, searching her eyes. He kissed her tentatively. She focused completely on him. She felt tears trickling down her face regardless.

"Alice…" he murmured, wiping the tears away.

"I—I'm so…S-s-sorry!" she sobbed loudly.

"Shhh," he shook his head. "Don't think about that now."

Hot tears flowed freely down her cheeks.

He climbed up into the bed with her, allowing her to wrap herself around him completely. She sobbed into his chest, soaking his shirt.

The release she felt was staggering. She didn't realize she was holding all of this in.

He stroked her hair, holding her tightly while she cried.

She felt utterly horrible despite crying. She felt like she couldn't cry enough.

She'd been hoping that being with Bruce would make things better, but if anything, now that she didn't have to focus on seeing him again, everything was worse.

She'd reached her goal, but it didn't solve any of her problems.

She clung to him for dear life. She felt like she could just float away with her sadness. He was her anchor. He was what was keeping her here. Safe and warm and here.

* * *

**Thomas**

He materialized in her cell. He looked around the tiny dark room. It seemed like they'd take better care to make it impenetrable. She certainly had made herself at home in here. Lots of books. Nice thick mattress. She was even getting her roots done. Even if it was a box dye, it still looked better than when they were on the run.

He cleared his throat and she jumped, spinning around in her chair.

"You…" she whispered.

"Me," he said, grinning.

"You're not supposed to be able to get in here…they SAID it was YOU-proof!" she pointed and staggered back into the wall.

"Chillax, Ange."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CHILLAX, THOMAS. THAT'S NOT EVEN A WORD!"

"Look, I'm not here to exact any kind of half-assed revenge. Thing is…I didn't tell you everything. I didn't trust you with the entire plan, so you were in the dark. And from your perspective, I can totally see why you thought it was going to end badly…"

"Did they—did the Avengers…lose?" she asked in disbelief.

"No. They won. Alice came through in the 11th hour and saved their sorry asses…"

"What are you—?"

"Doing here? Well, let's just say I got cocky and didn't check the corners of the room."

"So your plan didn't—?"

"Didn't work either? Nope. But, it's all good. I have another one. But, first, I wanted—"

"Absolutely not. I'm fine here. I get 3 squares, the bed's warm, I even get internet privileges…AND, I got a reduced sentence for the information I gave."

_Information about ME, you conniving bitch. _

"I meant…I could take you away. Out of the country. Set up a new identity for you, erase this one. They can't extradite someone who doesn't exist, can they?"

She stopped talking. "You would do that for me?"

"Angela. I told you before, I understand why you did what you did, and since you didn't REALLY have any information that I didn't want you to have, there was no harm done."

"So you're going to help me?"

"Well, I can't trust you to work with me anymore, unfortunately, but I feel like I owe you, since this all is my fault anyway."

She stared at him warily.

_Take the bait. Take it._

"You could be living it up in the south of France…I know how much you wanted to live there… you could work at a patisserie…wouldn't that be idyllic?" he asked, walking around the room. He flicked at a drawing on the wall of her room.

She put her hand over the drawing, pushing his away, "Stop that."

"Why? Did your prison wife draw that for you?"

"NO!" she said. "My niece…"

"How sweet."

"The south of France, you say?"

"Anywhere, really…"

She relaxed somewhat. "France sounds perfect."

"I have your new identity right here, new ID, passport, driver's license, birth certificate, everything…"

"And you'll erase me from the system?"

"Already did it."

She was silent for a moment, looking around. She nodded. "Okay, let's go."

_THAT was easy._

He took her hand and they disappeared into the matrix.

They re-materialized in front of a small cottage. He handed her a manila folder of materials.

"Everything you need to get started is in there. Have a nice life, Ange."

"This is mine?"

"Well..it's…Anna's. You're Anna."

"Thank you, Thomas," she smiled at him.

He smirked and turned to go, but then he remembered something he wanted to ask.

"How'd you get out of the base without anyone noticing? I'm the only one who could have done that."

She pressed her lips together in a line. "I promised I wouldn't say."

"Say. It's not like I care, or anything."

_Nope, not at all. I don't care in the slightest. Nope. _

She appeared conflicted, like she wasn't going to tell.

_C'mon, Ange. I know you like to gossip. _

"It was Dr. Talbot. She and her husband were leaving for another base. She offered to take me to Manhattan. I think she was having second thoughts about what she did."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. It was amazing how people could still surprise him.

_So she didn't feel bad enough to stay and try to fix the mess she made, but she felt bad enough to give someone else an out. Interesting priorities, Betty Ross Talbot. _

"Alright. Wouldn't have guessed that. Huh..." he shrugged, "Well, I'll leave you to it."

He disappeared into the matrix.

He reappeared a few blocks away at the post office. He needed to mail a package.

"Ce qui est ici? asked the clerk.

"Une pointe de fléche," he replied.

He filled out the necessary forms and watched as the clerk stamped his tiny parcel multiple times.

"Il faudra trois semaines pour obtenir de la douane," said the clerk with a tight smile.

_3 weeks to get through customs? That should definitely give her enough time to get comfortable._

"Merveilleux," said Thomas, returning the smile.

He left the post office and walked around the corner before disappearing again. He reappeared in his new apartment. He looked out the window at his new hometown.

"Ah, Memphis…" he grinned. "Let's see if Tennessee is nicer to me than New York."

His new feline friend, Callie, rubbed herself against his ankles. She purred and arched her back.

"Hi, Callie, did you miss me?"

Callie meowed and walked over to her empty food dish.

"Right, I have to pay the toll to be your friend. That's why I like you, kittums." He filled the bowl and continued to pet her while she ate.

"You're not going to betray me, are you? Not as long as I feed you and let you destroy my couch, right? Not like that bitch, Angela…" he spat out the last bit.

The cat stopped eating for a split second, as if mildly perturbed by his outburst.

"Well, don't worry. She won't be coming back. Not from where she's headed. See…I MAY have played a tiny little prank on her. Not really a prank, I guess. More like payback."

Callie was still eating.

"I told her that I was giving her a new life. Not a complete lie. However, it's not the one she thinks it's going to be. I broke her out of the minimum security prison she was in, took her to France, and gave her a new identity. BUT, silly me, I forgot to delete her old one, so she's now a fugitive. Isn't that HILARIOUS?"

The cat didn't bat an eye.

Thomas continued anyway, "And THEN, to add insult to injury, I mailed Barton's arrowhead back to him using HER return address, so they'll know exactly where to find her. Too bad that breaking out of federal prison is a big no-no, and they won't be so lenient with her this time around…"

Callie meowed contentedly, still stuffing her face.

"But I don't have to worry about that with you…" he reiterated. "Because if YOU betray me, Callie…I'll just kill you." He grinned widely while scratching her behind her ears.

"Now, I have to go track down an old friend..." He closed his eyes and sat back on the bed, getting ready to do a data search. "Dr. Talbot, where did you scamper off to?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**French translation: **

**Ce qui est ici? - What's in here? **  
**Une pointe de fléche- An arrowhead **  
**Il faudra trois semaines pour obtenir de la douane- It will take three weeks to get through customs. **  
**Merveilleux-Wonderful **

**All the french translations are my own, apologies if I got something wrong. **

**Anywho, I hope this tied up some of the loose ends. We don't get to see what happens (or doesn't happen) to Betty in this story, it will be in a future installment. There are still two more chapters of this one, so hang in there! But, we do see the wheels in motion for Angela's comeuppance, which has been a long time coming. I just couldn't let her get off so easily. Not when she did so much wrong. **

**Poor Alice, she's just so broken after that fight. :( **

**And Bruce, you're being such a...buttmunch, I swear. (I don't like calling him names, haha) But, really. You're being incredibly rude to Steve and Tony, not to mention the poor doctors and nurses who are taking care of your sweetheart. Just...come on, man. **

**Thomas, you're...such a crazy, scary lunatic. (I have so much fun writing for Thomas, is it apparent?) **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice and Thomas. And Dr. Murphy. **

**Please, pretty please review if you feel so inclined, it's been so quiet, I'm not sure what everyone's thinking. I hope you are enjoying the story, though. ;) **

**Follow/Favorite if you want to! xoxo, expect the next chapter later this week, Thursday, or possibly Friday, but I'll try to get it to you before then. The next chapter has some trigger warnings b/c of suicidal thoughts/actions. So please keep that in mind. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N at the end. Song for this chapter is 'I'm a Mess' by Ed Sheeran. Trigger warnings: Suicidal Thoughts and actions/self harm. Other warnings: Language.**

* * *

**Alice**

"What are you doing?" a voice behind her asked. She turned slightly, the wind blowing her hair back over her shoulders.

Clint was standing beside her on the roof of Stark Tower.

Tears slid out and down her cheeks. "Go away, Clint."

"You know I can't…"

She hiccupped.

She wasn't sure how she got here.

The whole day had been surreal. Bruce had gone to work and then she'd gone to the gym. She hadn't done anything while there…pretty much just stared at Steve running on the treadmill until he got uncomfortable and asked her what was wrong. She had smiled, shrugged and gotten up to go back to the apartment.

She'd gone in, sitting in the stark silence. She'd cleaned up the breakfast dishes, picked up the laundry. She got out the vacuum, but didn't get further than un-wrapping the cord. It was still sitting in the middle of the living room floor.

She'd gone into the bathroom. She turned on the lights, but turned them back off again, it was too bright. Too white. Too…cheerful.

Like it was mocking her.

She'd instead turned on the track lights over the tub. Turned them down low so they wouldn't hurt her head. Just bright enough that it wasn't pitch black. She sat on the edge of the tub for a while. She pulled down a towel to bury her face in.

It was soft. No warmth, though. A poor surrogate for what she really wanted.

But what she wanted, she didn't deserve.

She wanted Bruce, wanted to snuggle into the warmth of his arms and not move until she felt better. He was more than willing to let her, but she couldn't afford herself that luxury. He just didn't realize. He hadn't put two and two together yet. Once he figured out what she already knew, that she was a monster, he'd want nothing to do with her. She was only protecting herself from that inevitability.

She got up again, crossing the floor with purpose. She opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out Bruce's straight razor. The one he used every day to shave with. It was sharp. He was skilled with it, because he never cut himself.

She slid down onto the floor, the towel pooling at her feet.

She crossed her legs. She pushed up the sleeve on the long sleeve shirt she was wearing. She wore it to cover the burns on her arms. She felt like everyone stared at them. They didn't hurt much anymore, but the scarring was ugly.

She looked at the angry pink flesh. It ran in stripes around her hands, wrists and forearms. The doctor seemed to think it would fade in time, but she wasn't so sure.

She sat up straight. If she didn't do it now, she'd lose her nerve. She just wanted to see…

To see if she actually COULD do it.

She took the razor and pressed it hard into her skin.

Nothing happened.

She dragged it down.

No blood.

She frowned, confused, trying it again and again as her heart beat faster and faster.

She dropped the razor on the floor with a clatter.

_Stupid fucking barrier. Stupid fucking mutation. I can't even kill myself. If I take pills, they'll do nothing. Can't cut myself either. _

She rose suddenly, leaving the razor and the towel on the floor.

She turned and walked out of the apartment and into the elevator.

"Where to, Ms. Vorso?'

"The roof, JARVIS."

There was a pause.

"Right away, Ms. Vorso."

The elevator started moving and didn't stop until it opened up on the roof.

She walked out to the very edge, looking down and out over the city. The sounds of life were muffled up here, so far away. Still not quiet though. It could never be quiet.

That's where Clint found her.

She peered over to the ground. It was dizzying.

"If you jump, I'm going to have to jump with you. Then, we'll have to swing through the window of the lab, or the office level. You wouldn't want to scare those poor office workers would you?" the archer asked.

_Lame attempt, Clint. _

She shrugged, "I don't guess so."

She sat down on the ledge. Her feet hanging down. She still wasn't sure.

"Can I join you or is this a private party?"

She nodded once.

"Not sure what that meant, but I'm going to sit down with you."

He sat near her, but not touching. She could feel his warmth.

He didn't speak. The silence was deafening.

"Aren't you going to make me talk it out?" she asked, her tone hostile.

"We don't need to talk unless you want to."

"I don't."

"Cool."

She could feel his eyes on her. Her chin started quivering.

"Stop looking at me."

"Why?"

"Because it's making me nervous."

"Sorry," he averted his eyes.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"What's wrong with me looking at you?"

"You're pitying me. I don't like it."

"I'm not pitying you. I'm trying to figure you out."

"There's nothing to figure out."

"Why are you up here?" he asked abruptly.

"I thought we weren't going to talk."

"YOU started talking."

"I'm not answering THAT question," she said, deftly ignoring his previous statement.

"Fine," he leaned back on his hands.

She was silent for a few minutes before replying, "Because I'm broken. I'm…used up."

"Why do you think that?"

"I can't stop thinking about what happened. I can't move on…"

"No is expecting you to move on so quickly, Alice. You NEED to deal with it. Talk to someone about it."

"Who?"

"Me. Talk to me right now. Unload."

"It's not your problem, Clint."

"Whose is it?"

"Mine."

"No, it's not just yours. We're a team, Alice."

"Yeah, but what I did…"

"You did what you did because the rest of us fucked up. I followed Logan, and I wasn't there to help when you guys needed me. Steve stopped Nat from calling for backup and then she forgot to call again later on. Bruce walked headlong into a trap that we ALL should have seen coming, and Tony…Tony underestimated everything. Again."

"But…"

"We're ALL responsible for what happened. There was no other way out for us."

"But how are the lives of 6 people more important than the lives of 50? WHO WAS I TO DECIDE THAT?" she sobbed.

"Alice, if you hadn't stopped them, they would have continued on with Ryker's plan. You stopped them from getting any further with it. They wanted an army of Hulks. There's nothing in this world that can successfully fight that. You saved…countless lives by taking the lives of 50. That's why you did it."

Tears slid down her cheeks.

"I just…I don't want this anymore, Clint. I don't want this life."

"None of us do, sweetheart."

"No…I really DON'T want this fucking life. I want kids. I want to be married. I want a house with a fucking white picket fence and I want stability and safety."

"You can have that…or a modified version of it."

She shook her head, "No. If Bruce and I have kids, they will be constantly running for their whole lives. Or worse, WE won't even get to raise them. They'll take them away from us. We won't be able to leave New York. We'll have to stay here forever. And…I don't even know if Bruce and I are going to make it."

"Alice. First of all, your kids might very well be running their whole lives. OR they'll be doing amazing things. You can't control that. Second, if anyone tries to take those hypothetical children away from you, they'll have you and BRUCE to contend with. Not to mention the rest of us. I'll live on top of your house if I have to. And lastly…you and Bruce are going through a hard time right now. Separately AND together. You need to talk to him. He's not going to be able to help you if you don't talk to him."

"I can't. I just…I've tried, but I just can't. I back out every time. I can't make him upset. I can't take his contentment and happiness away."

"And killing yourself, what was that going to do to him?"

She was quiet.

"It would have destroyed him, Alice. I don't think he'd have ever come back from it."

She bit her lip. "Well…it's not like anyone would have let that happen anyway. Can't let anything bad happen to me or Bruce might have a hissy fit and destroy the city," she said bitterly, feeling more tears welling in her eyes.

"Alice. I couldn't have lived with myself if I let you do this. It has nothing to do with Bruce or the city or anything else. I like YOU. You're a really nice person. You are fun to hang around with. Most importantly, you have ALWAYS been that way. You didn't let any of this change you. I've never seen someone roll with the punches the way you do. You are so adaptable. Which is why this…" he gestured between them and out over the side of the tower, "This scares me. Because while I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have done it. I don't know."

She sniffed, feeling her nose begin to run as she cried silently.

"I didn't know you felt that way…everyone's always going on and on about how nothing needs to happen to me because Bruce might freak out…I thought you guys put up with me for him."

"Team. Unwilling team, but team nonetheless. We put up with everyone for one reason or another. You're no different."

"Thanks for the lukewarm sentiment."

"Did you expect anything else?"

"Coming from you? Definitely not."

He reached over to pat her shoulder.

"How did you even know I was up here?" she asked, sniffing loudly.

"JARVIS told Tony."

"OH GOD…TONY knows?"

"And Steve…"

"Steve?" She scooted back from the edge and lay down, staring at the sky. "How did you get saddled with the job of coming up here and talking me down?"

"I insisted. Tony wouldn't know what to say, he wanted to tell Bruce and let him handle it, which I knew was a bad idea. And Steve would just want to fix you. I don't want to fix you. I just want to sit with you."

She held out her hands in front of her. The burns felt hot in the sun. She still had her sleeves pushed up.

"I don't know if I'll ever play guitar again…" she said sadly. "Look at these things, they're HIDEOUS."

"They really don't look as bad as you think they do," Clint said reassuringly. "And I'm sure you'll play guitar again, you just have to get them moving."

She groaned and put her elbow over her eyes. "I just feel like that was the only thing I had that was mine and now it's gone too."

"Alice. Everything you do is yours. Just because your powers work in conjunction with Bruce's doesn't mean they're not yours."

"Yeah, but he said…he SAID that I needed to find Bruce to see my true potential. Is my true potential really just to help him? I mean…is that all I'm good for? Helping Bruce? Is there no ME in me?"

"Who said?"

"Thomas."

"Thomas is a crackhead."

She snorted, "Maybe, but he told me lots of things…LOTS of things. Like, I didn't get the job here based on my merit. I got it because Thomas deleted all the other applicants. He got me the job so I would meet Bruce…I mean…is ANYTHING mine? Nothing in my life has any meaning...because all of it was orchestrated. Even the fact that I EXIST at all was orchestrated."

Clint was quiet, probably because he couldn't think of anything else to say to make her feel better.

She felt so alone. Alone, but somewhat better. She didn't feel like she was suffocating anymore. There still wasn't a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel itself wasn't so dark.

They sat there for a long while. The sun started to set. She knew Bruce would be back from the lab soon and would probably be wondering where she was. It made her stomach hurt to think that she'd almost done it. That if she had, his wonder would turn to worry. His worry into frantic fear and his fear into desperation.

She wanted to go home and hug him. Just never stop hugging him.

"I think I should go home," she said quietly.

"Are you ready to?"

She frowned, wondering at his meaning before realization hit her.

"You can't tell Bruce."

Clint frowned, "Are YOU? Because you need to tell him, Alice."

"I'm going to…when I am able. I don't think I could handle it tonight."

"It needs to be soon."

"I know….I know."

"I'll keep Tony and Steve from telling him. It needs to come from you."

She nodded again before standing. Her legs felt strange. Solid, but light.

She walked with Clint to the elevator and took it down to the apartments. He playfully punched her arm before she got out. She felt the corners of her mouth pull upward despite her melancholy.

_God, Clint, you're so awkward._

He didn't exit the elevator with her, he stepped back inside, placing both hands on the rail Probably going to go relay all the information to Tony and Steve.

She walked down the hall to the apartment. When she opened the door, she was bombarded with the smells. The smell of what they had for breakfast this morning, the smell of soap coming from the bathroom, and the smell Bruce's pillow had. She buried her face in it. She cried silently into the pillow, trying in vain to calm down before he got home.

She heard the door open and suddenly remembered the razor on the bathroom floor. She jumped up, feeling lightheaded, and staggered towards the bathroom. She found the razor on the floor and quickly replaced it in the medicine cabinet. She picked up the towel and draped it over the bathtub.

She heard Bruce in the bedroom so she quickly flushed the toilet and turned on the sink. She turned it off again momentarily and walked out into the bedroom. Her legs felt shaky.

"Hey, there, love…did you happen to do any laundry today?" he asked, looking up from his task of unbuttoning his shirt.

"Yeah…it's in the dryer, I didn't get a chance to fold it yet…" she turned to go to the laundry room. Bruce followed her.

"No, no…sit down. You look tired…are your arms hurting still? How about your head?"

"I'm fine…" Alice whispered.

"Still, though…I might have a painkiller for you soon. Not that it helps with this…" he gestured vaguely. "But, for the next time you need something…"

"Thank you," she said, smiling thinly.

"What's wrong, Alice?" He pulled on a clean shirt and buttoned it, not bothering to tuck it in. He sat down on the couch beside her.

She felt the lump in her throat returning and she pressed her lips together tightly and shook her head, "Nothing."

"No, it's something…do you want to talk? About…anything? I would love to…hear what you're thinking right now."

His tone was almost pleading. He looked sincere.

"I—I'm worried about you, Alice," he said quietly.

_Oh God, I can't…I can't tell him. _

Her breathing became labored, she felt faint. She leaned down and put her head between her knees, her breath coming out in gasps.

He put his hand on her back, speaking to her in worried tones. He sounded so far away…

She woke up on the couch.

He was hovering over her, wiping her face with a wet cloth.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his brow knitted.

She nodded, "Sorry…I…"

"Had a panic attack and passed out," he finished for her.

"Yeah…"

"Please tell me what's going on?"

She shook her head, "I don't know."

"You don't know or you don't know if you should tell me?"

"First one."

She wiped at her nose and saw blood, she jumped up quickly, looking around for Thomas.

"No, no…you hit your face on the coffee table when you passed out…" Bruce pulled her close. "You're safe. Don't worry…"

She knew she didn't deserve it, but it felt so good to feel his arms around her. She sank against him, returning the embrace. He supported her, laid her back on the couch.

She clutched at him, afraid to be alone even for a second. She didn't trust herself to be alone.

He settled down on the couch and she laid her head on his chest, listening to his heart and syncing her breaths with his.

* * *

**Clint**

Tony stared at Clint incredulously. "What are you talking about? He NEEDS to know! He deserves to know!"

"It's not OUR place to tell him," he insisted. "It should come from her."

Clint was desperately trying to get Tony and Steve to come over to his side. They needed to be united on this. One was arguing obstinately and the other was strangely quiet.

"You KNOW she's not going to tell him, though," Tony protested. "You KNOW how she is about this stuff."

"It's what she—"Clint began.

"Look. SHE doesn't know what's best for her right now. Bruce needs to know so he can take care of her."

"This is a very delicate matter and it needs to be treated as such…"

"OR…" Tony countered, "We could pull up our big boy pants and DEAL with this BEFORE it becomes a gigantic Hulk-sized mess."

"That. Right there. Stop it with that," Clint warned.

"What? It's the truth."

"Yeah, well, put yourself in her position. How would that make you feel? To be treated like a huge burden? Do you think she's a burden?"

"Right now? Yeah. A little bit."

"Stark. Shut up," commanded Steve, finally taking a position.

"Whoa…wait a second, everyone pull up a chair, the Star Spangled Senior is going to weigh in…"

"Look…I think we should respect her wishes for now…but keep an eye on it. She shouldn't be alone."

"Exactly! That's why we should tell Bruce and let him deal with it," Tony said with finality.

"Right. That sounds like a winning idea. Let's tell Bruce before Alice is ready to talk about it. Because Bruce is SO understanding and SO level headed. I'm CERTAIN he'll handle this correctly. He won't make it worse at ALL," Clint replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Okay, first? Sarcasm is MY thing. Steve here," he gestured to the man in question, "Deadpan, no sense of humor. Straight man. You…" He pointed to Clint. "YOU are supposed to be up in the rafters twiddling your thumbs or whatever it is you do to entertain yourself. Leave the sarcasm to me. Second, it doesn't matter how Bruce is going to handle it, he deserves to know that his girlfriend was trying to off herself today. WE don't have time to be on a suicide watch."

"Alice is one of us, if she's going through something and it's our job to help her."

"This is helping her? What are we going to do? Scurry over to the apartment the second Bruce leaves in the morning to make sure she doesn't have her head in the oven?"

Steve frowned and shook his head, "Those are electric ovens."

"You KNOW what I mean."

"Look, Stark, you don't have to do a damn thing. Clint and I will handle it," Steve insisted. "If you don't want to help, you won't. But do NOT say anything to Bruce."

Tony sighed exasperatedly. "Fine. FINE. And I'll help. Of course I'll help. It's Alice after all."

"And just to be clear, we're NOT telling Bruce," said Clint, eyeing Tony warily.

"I won't. I won't tell Bruce."

"Won't tell me what?" Bruce asked quietly from behind them.

"Fuck," said Tony. "Just fuck!"

Bruce glared between the three of them. "Won't tell me what?" he growled.

Steve straightened his stance. Clint took his weight off his heels so he could run at a moment's notice if this situation suddenly turned green.

"I'm going. This is on you guys…" Tony said angrily, turning to leave.

Bruce grabbed his arm, causing him to stumble.

"Won't. Tell. Me. WHAT?"

"Look…I wanted to tell you right away, Bruce…I really did, but Barton and Rogers…"

"Why don't you tell me now? I'm listening."

"Because…you're being scary right now and hurting my arm…"

Bruce let go of Tony's arm, rounding on Steve and Clint. "Tell me," he commanded.

Clint gulped. "She wanted to tell you herself…"

"Did she? That's funny, because I spent all evening with her and she didn't say a word."

"Bruce, just calm down."

"Tell me," he ground out.

"Bruce…."

"TELL ME!" he bellowed, causing all three of the other men to jump.

It was Clint who finally spoke up. "Alice was thinking about making an attempt on her life this afternoon. I talked with her and it appears she's better now. She asked that we not tell you because she wanted to tell you herself when she was ready."

Bruce turned to leave abruptly.

"This is why she didn't want to tell you," said Steve.

He turned back to face them, "What are you talking about?"

"What's your plan? How are you going to approach this?"

"I was going to go confront her about it—"

All three men protested loudly. "NO!"

"She was SUICIDAL today. The last thing she needs is to be yelled at."

"I wasn't going to yell at her."

"Bruce…come on. You weren't going to yell at her? That's like saying I wasn't going to make an offensive joke, or Steve isn't going to misunderstand a pop culture reference, or Clint isn't going to…" he stopped and looked at Clint in confusion, "What the hell do you do?"

Clint swatted Tony on the arm, before turning towards Bruce. "I think you should wait, and let her come to you. This is a very sensitive subject and you should wait until she's ready to talk about it."

"Is that REALLY how I should act? Really? Everyone's so QUICK to tell me how I'm GOING to act, and how I SHOULDN'T act that way, and how I NEED to act…how do you know I wasn't going to be tactful and sensitive? Am I so infantile that I need someone to hold my hand and walk me through my OWN FUCKING RELATIONSHIP?"

Clint and Steve exchanged a quick look while Tony barreled on, obviously not sensing the mood or reading the room AT ALL. As per usual.

"Nobody's trying to hold your hand, Big Guy…It's just…you KNOW how you can be…"

"How AM I, Tony? Tell me."

Tony faltered, stammering slightly and glancing at Steve and Clint for support.

Clint gestured towards Bruce in a manner that said, 'It's all you, buddy.' Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head disappointedly.

"How AM I, Tony?" Bruce repeated.

Tony cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"You're a bit intense…" Steve interjected. "It's not a bad thing. Intensity is great and all, but—"

"Like I've said before, Steve, YOU don't HAVE a relationship, stop trying to micromanage mine. I understand that Alice is your friend—"

"How do you KNOW I don't have a relationship? You don't know anything about me!"

"Right, STEVE, you have a relationship…" scoffed Tony.

"Maybe I just don't want to be public and in everyone's face about it."

Clint countered, "Hey, I resent that…I am not in everyone's face about my relationships. I'm VERY discreet. Sometimes, I don't even know the girl's name."

"So, Steve…does she go to another school?" asked Tony, ignoring Clint's contribution to the conversation.

Steve rolled his eyes, "Forget I said anything…"

"This is EXACTLY my point. None of you knows what the hell you're talking about. Tony, you are the textbook example of someone with Peter Pan syndrome. You weren't looking for a girlfriend. You were looking for a mom. You're Peter Pan, Pepper is Wendy…" he waved his hand dismissively.

"Hey…" Tony argued, frowning, "That's hurtful. And a little gross."

Bruce barreled forward, "Steve, you might very well have a relationship, but you're obviously not comfortable enough with it to go public, so why should I take advice from you?"

Steve set his jaw and looked away, over Bruce's head.

"And Clint, I probably have milk in my fridge that's been there longer than any relationship you've ever had."

Clint started to protest, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"So, if you'll excuse me, gentlemen…I'm going to BE with the woman I love and support her. Not that it's any of your business, but I'll do whatever she needs, even if it's just to sit there with her. Because she's been there for me and I KNOW I haven't been nearly as good to her. Have a great night, but I'm going to get my bag that I came down for and I'm going home," Bruce stormed back to his desk, slinging his bag over his shoulder and leaving the lab in a huff.

"That went well…" said Tony sardonically. "I think he was REALLY receptive, AND I think we all learned a little bit about ourselves."

"Shut up, Stark," Steve groaned.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so this chapter was rough. **

**I had some comments on the last chapter about everyone blaming Bruce for everything wrong in his and Alice's relationship. I didn't mean for it to look that way, and I certainly didn't mean it that way. I wrote from Bruce's POV last chapter, and when I do that, I tend to make everything central to that character, because it's from their POV, and most people think about things in the way it pertains to them. So, if it looked that way, that's probably why. **

**Alice blames herself and I think Bruce blames himself. It's just a big mess. Just to clarify, Tony is leaning towards Bruce's side (Science Bros!). **

**Anywho...Alice's feelings this chapter: She's feeling both monstrous (she killed a LOT of people) and like a burden. She's also dealing with the revelations from Thomas in the last chapter. Also, she's just now coming to grips with the way she was created. She feels like her life is not her own and that she has lost herself somewhere along the way to where she is. **

**In terms of her suicide attempts, logistically, she couldn't kill herself by ODing or cutting, because of her abilities. I think the only way she could die would be drowning or a fall from a great height. Her shield can't help her if she falls. **

**This was such a difficult chapter to write, I don't like writing either Alice or Bruce like this. And I wish I could say that the next chapter is better. But it's not. :( **

**I have one more chapter for you next week, plus an epilogue. Then, I'll take a week or so off to get my ducks in a row for the third installment, 'Open Up Your Sky'. **

**As always, I don't own any part of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice and Thomas. **

**Please review and let me know what you think, I'm nervous about this chapter and the next. **

**Follow/Favorite if you feel so inclined!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N at the end. Song for this chapter is 'Honeybee' by Steam Powered Giraffe. (Please listen to this if you're not familiar with it.) Warnings: Language, mentions of past triggers (Suicide and self harm), extreme angst. I'm sorry...**

* * *

**Alice**

Alice stepped out of the shower, her skin red from the hot water and vigorous scrubbing. It seemed like she never felt clean anymore. She couldn't wash the blood off her hands. She couldn't wash away the feeling of disgust. It stuck to her all the time, like a film. She felt like everyone who looked at her could see it.

It had been a week since the incident on the roof and she still hadn't come clean to Bruce. She felt like he knew something was up, the way he looked at her semi-expectantly every time she started to tell him before invariably chickening out again.

Just a big huge coward. That's all she was.

Chickened out of killing herself and then couldn't even tell Bruce about it.

She hadn't even left the apartment. She couldn't face Tony, Steve or Clint. Not when THEY knew what she did and that she was forcing them to keep something from Bruce.

Bruce had tried. He tried to get her to go outside and get sun. He sat with her on the couch. He brought her ice cream, which she'd let melt on the counter, forgetting its existence until she heard his disappointed sigh as he cleaned up the mess.

She didn't see how it could get any worse.

Thomas hadn't been found. She knew he wasn't dead, though. No offense to Clint, but she was certain even one of his well-placed arrows couldn't kill Thomas. She wouldn't believe he was dead until she saw his cold lifeless body. Even then, it would take some convincing.

No, he was out there, lurking around. Still wanting what he hadn't been able to take from her.

She hung up her towel and walked out into the bedroom.

Bruce was rummaging through his chest of drawers to find something to wear. He pulled on a pair of pants, watching her cross the room in her towel.

She felt herself shrink slightly as she hunched her shoulders, trying to take up the least amount of space that she could.

"Don't do that…" Bruce said softly.

"What?" she returned, just as softly.

"Walk around here like a kicked puppy," he replied.

"Sorry," she whispered, straightening her shoulders. She heard him sigh almost inaudibly. She turned to see him looking at her sadly. His eyes were wide and desperate. "Isn't this what you wanted?" she asked.

"I want you to talk to me," he pleaded.

"I don't…" she started, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Alice…" he crossed the floor to where she was standing. "Please…"

She moved away from him, knowing she should tell him, but her vocal chords felt frozen. She couldn't say anything, not even if she wanted to.

She pulled on her clothes quickly and sat down to braid her hair, mentally berating herself.

_You're terrible. A horrible girlfriend. He deserves so much better than you. _

"Are you ever going to tell me?" he asked. He hadn't moved from the spot he'd been standing in.

She felt her heart begin to race, her skin felt hot.

"Tell you what?"

"Don't do that. Don't insult my intelligence and yours by pretending you don't know what I'm referring to."

He knew. How did he know? Who told him?

"I was going to tell you, when I was ready…" she started, a lump rising in her throat.

"Were you really? Or were you going to live out your life and never tell me that you tried to end it?"

"No. I was going to tell you."

He sat down on the bed. "Why? Alice? Why couldn't you tell me?"

"I was worried that you'd…"

"That I'd get angry?"

She nodded.

"Are you really that scared of me? I must be more like my father than I thought."

"No…Bruce, no…it's not—"

"It's not? Really? I've been wracking my brain for the entire week, wondering why you couldn't tell me you were feeling so helpless, so depressed, that you were considering ending everything."

"I just…wanted to understand why I felt that way, so I could explain—"

"It never occurred to you that I could help you? That we could understand together? That you wouldn't need to explain anything to me? I've been there, Alice. I KNOW the feeling. I would have understood and tried to help you move past it," he choked out the last few words, as his emotions overtook him. "I love you. I would have helped you."

"Bruce, you have to understand that I've had to explain myself, my feelings so much since—"

"Are you going to punish me for that for the rest of our lives? That I didn't believe you about Thomas? I'M SORRY! I am SO sorry, I wish I could take it back. I'm sorry you ever felt so alone and scared while you were with me. I'm sorry I didn't help you, but I can't go back and fix it. I PROMISE, I will always believe you from now on, I PROMISE you never have to feel so alone again!"

"You're only sorry because I was right, though, Bruce."

He frowned, obviously confused.

"You're only sorry because it turned out that my crazy fears were true. If I had been wrong, it wouldn't have changed anything. I need you to be on my side. No matter how crazy I sound. Because I'm ALWAYS on yours."

"I'm on YOUR side, Alice."

"Now."

"I feel like a broken record, I CANNOT go back in time, Alice. I can't change what's already happened. I can apologize until I'm blue in the face, but it won't change the past. All I can do is promise to never doubt you again."

It was the fact that he HAD doubted her that made her upset. She thought they were further into their relationship that they could trust each other. She trusted him. It seemed that he didn't feel the same about her. Not until now. It didn't sit well that they weren't on the same page.

She nodded absently. "I know." She finished off her braid. Another thought occurred to her. "How did you find out?"

He bit his lip momentarily before releasing it. "I overheard Tony, Clint and Steve discussing it last week. On the day you attempted…" he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"Oh," she said hollowly. She got up and walked out to the living room.

"I'm still talking to you," he said abruptly as she approached the door.

"You can come out here."

"No. Stop trying to control the situation," he said, his tone changing rapidly from sad to upset.

She frowned, it was her turn to be confused. "What's wrong?"

"What's WRONG?" he exploded.

There it is. She knew he couldn't get through this without yelling.

She swallowed thickly, increasing the siphon on him until his breathing slowed.

"STOP THAT…" he ground out, his hands shaking.

She felt her cheeks grow hot as tears dripped down them. She released the siphon. Whatever it was, she deserved it anyway. She walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed.

He was silent, simply walking back and forth in front of the bed.

"I'm sorry," he said again, his tone sounded almost manic. "I'm sorry, Alice…I didn't mean…"

"No, it's fine. I understand. You were feeling out of control," she said, her tone clipped.

"It's not fine. I was…"

"Understandably upset."

"Maybe understandably, but it doesn't excuse the way I spoke to you."

"No. I understand. I knew you'd be angry when you found out about my—"

"It's not that. The fact that you felt that way makes me very sad, but not angry. I'm angry because no matter what I do, you won't forgive me for doubting you."

Alice was silent. She couldn't think of anything she could say to alleviate his fears.

"You can't, can you?" he sat down on the end of the bed, hanging his head.

She gulped. "Not right now…"

"What do I need to do? I will do anything, Alice." He'd turned to face her, taking her hands in his. She looked up into his eyes. She loved him so much.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," he replied, pressing fevered kisses to both of her hands. "But it's not enough is it? You're going to leave me, aren't you?"

She shook her head, "No, Bruce, I can't leave you." She meant it. She couldn't live without him.

Still, despite her declaration, he appeared crestfallen. "I guess you can't. Because you have to be around me to keep the siphon up, keep the Other Guy at bay…"

_No! Not because of that! _She couldn't find her voice.

"Maybe you should go. I don't want to become a penance for you."

She shook her head, finding her voice at last. "NO, Bruce, that's not what I meant! I meant—"

"It's fine, Alice. I think we both need some time to think about this."

Her stomach dropped.

"Are you…ending this?"

He swallowed thickly and dropped her hands, nodding.

"And that's…what you want?" she asked, tears collecting in the corners of her eyes.

He nodded again, "I think it's for the best."

_It's not. It's not. Nothing that involves me away from you is for the best._

She set her jaw painfully.

_But it's what he wants. _

She found herself craving his touch, but it felt painful to want it. She wished she'd been more clingy this week, if she had known she might never touch him again, she'd have asked him to cuddle with her more. He'd have done it if she'd only asked.

Instead, she'd remained distant, denying herself something that might have made her feel better enough to tell him everything. It might have kept this from happening.

Her nose and throat hurt with the effort to hold back the tears she felt welling up.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll come get my stuff later."

He didn't answer.

She pressed her lips together. She couldn't look at him. She got up and grabbed her shoes from beside the door.

She closed it behind her, feeling empty inside.

Her first instinct was to run to Darcy's, but she was out of town visiting her parents. She turned quickly and walked down the hall, her shoes still in her hand. She hadn't even thought to grab her phone.

How would Bruce get in touch with her if…he wouldn't anyway. Because he didn't want to be around her anymore.

She choked back a sob as she crossed through the common area. Natasha was sitting at the counter drinking coffee and reading a magazine.

She went down the opposite hall and knocked rapidly on Steve's door. There was no answer, so she knocked again. Nothing.

Swearing under her breath, she turned and walked back to the common area.

Composing herself as best as she could, she turned towards Natasha. "Do you happen to know where Steve is?"

"I do not, but you could check the gym."

"Right…" she turned towards the elevator.

"Alice, are you okay?" she asked hesitantly.

She shook her head. "No." She offered no embellishment.

She entered the elevator, riding it down to the gym.

She looked around.

Empty.

Steve wasn't here either.

She collapsed on a bench, sighing heavily. She put her head down on her knees, wrapping her arms around herself to try and stop the shaking.

She let a few sobs escape, they were loud and raw sounding, echoing around the room. She squeezed her arms tightly to try and stop, but it only made it worse when she thought about how Bruce's arms felt around her.

She sat up abruptly, standing and stalking over to her locker along the opposite wall. She pulled out her hand wraps and began to angrily wrap her hands for kickboxing. She had to hit something. She just had to.

The sting of the punching bag felt good against her hands. She'd been so numb, it was good to feel something, even if it was pain.

She cried out loudly with every punch, every kick. She tried to channel all her hurt, pain and anger into destroying this poor punching bag. She landed a round house kick , knocking herself backwards, almost falling down.

She retained her balance, panting and drenched in sweat.

"Down, girl." She heard a voice behind her. She spun around to see Logan standing back outside the ring.

"Don't…sneak up on me like that," she pointed at him warningly.

"Sorry. I have a bad tendency of doing that," he said apologetically. He puffed on the cigar he held lazily in one hand. He dropped it to the floor and stamped it out. "Your form's good," he offered.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went home."

"Came back to check on you, I was a little worried when I left you last."

"Oh."

"Soo…how're you doing?"

"Swell, just swell," she answered sarcastically.

"I detect a hint of sarcasm."

"Well…I thought seriously about hurling myself off the top of the tower," she said bitterly. "And just now, Bruce broke up with me…" her voice wavered as she said it. Saying out loud made it feel more final. Like if she'd kept it to herself, she could go to sleep and wake up and it wouldn't have happened.

Logan frowned, "I'm sorry…what?"

She stifled a sob, her nostrils flaring as she gasped for air.

He was silent for a moment, as if trying to process everything she told him. "You tried to KILL yourself?"

"I THOUGHT about it," she corrected him loudly.

"Why?"

She rolled her eyes and kicked at the bag again.

"I suppose you've heard it all already…how you have so much to live for and you have lots of people who care about you…"

She chuckled darkly. "The only one who I care about doesn't care about me anymore. Nothing matters anymore."

"Well, I'm sure he'll come back around, you guys…seem to be in love or whatever."

"I don't know, Logan. I don't know that he will come back around."

"What makes you say that?" he was suddenly inside the ring…when had that happened?

She shrugged.

"He'll come back. Don't worry." He was suddenly VERY close to her. She could smell him. Cigar smoke, sweat and something else…leather.

She shouldn't be this close to him. It felt wrong.

"Thanks, Logan, I—"

She was cut off by his lips, they were pressed against hers. She blinked, so surprised she couldn't move for a second. His hands were tightly grasping her waist, his tall form towering over her, she was momentarily scared. She couldn't breathe. Almost against her will, her arms slid up his and around his neck, every part of him was solid.

She felt his lips start to move against hers and she panicked, pushing him away.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She backed away from him, her back hitting the back of the boxing ring.

She suddenly felt that familiar pull and cold sensation. She shivered and turned towards the door, her stomach felt queasy, like she might vomit.

Her worst fears realized, standing by the door, was Bruce, with a look on his face that she'd never seen before.

"Get out, Logan," she whispered, leaping over the ropes on the side of the ring.

She had to fix this.

"Bruce, I—"

He shook his head, backing up and turning to leave.

"Bruce!" she ran after him, her feet pounding on the tile floor. She caught up to him at the elevator.

She reached out for him. He violently pulled away from her, flooding her with a surge of energy.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave me alone. I can't promise I won't hurt you."

"I'm sorry! Bruce, I didn't…"

He shook his head, and got into the elevator when it opened. "Don't follow me," he warned, as the doors closed.

Logan approached from behind her, "You okay?"

She turned, glaring at him. Then, she turned away and covered her face as fresh tears began to spill. "Fuck it, fuck it, goddammit…" she kicked the elevator doors angrily. "You have to leave."

Logan sighed and shook his head. "Fine, consider me gone."

"Good. Stay gone this time," she said spitefully, fully realizing that she was as much to blame as he was.

She unwrapped her hands violently and threw the wraps into her locker, slamming the door. She wiped her mouth again, she could still taste the cigar smoke. She grimaced, turning to walk over to the elevator.

* * *

**Bruce**

She shut the door quietly behind her when she left. All the fight had left her.

"Stupid asshole," he cursed himself, sitting down on the bed violently and slamming his head into his hands.

_Of course I don't want to end things, why the fuck did I say that? What is wrong with me? Alice…I don't want to break up, I want you._

That's what he should have said. Anything BUT what he DID say would have been great.

He didn't know how to fix this. If he was smart, he'd go find her. She probably went to see Steve, or to the gym. He could go to either of those places and beg for forgiveness. He didn't really know what was wrong with him lately. It was like he knew exactly what he needed to do, but he couldn't do it for some reason.

He knew he needed to be more sensitive and available to her. More pushy, perhaps. When she asked him to leave her alone, he should have pushed harder. She needed someone and someone was him. But instead of holding her, he got up and went into another room. Still in the apartment, but not with her. He might as well have been at the lab all week for all the time he actually spent with her.

All because he was pissed about her not coming to him with her problems. Why should she? When he never made himself available to her.

His stomach hurt when he thought about losing her. She could have jumped. That would have been it. If she'd decided to do it before Clint had gone up to the roof. She'd have been gone. And she didn't feel comfortable talking to him about it.

And he was blaming HER for that.

"Stupid Asshole…" he said aloud, berating himself.

He got up and walked with purpose to the door.

He went to go knock on Steve's door, hoping she was there.

"She went down to the gym," Natasha informed him when he passed her in the common area.

"Thanks," he said, changing directions immediately and punching the button for the elevator.

"Don't mention it," said Natasha, flipping through the magazine she was holding.

The elevator ride down to the gym took forever. He bounced on the balls of his feet trying to figure out what to say to her. 'I'm sorry,' seemed like a clear winner for what he should say first, but he didn't know what to say after it.

The doors opened and he hurried out into the gym. He didn't see anyone on the treadmills, so he turned left to go to the boxing ring.

He stopped dead in his tracks, his heart felt like it stopped beating.

"Alice…" he whispered quietly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Don't hate me...please? **

**You have no idea how much this pained me. No idea. I've shed so many tears over this. I'm so, so sorry. **

**This is the last chapter. I have an epilogue for you, which I'll post today as well, that will set the tone for the next installment, which will be titled 'Open Up Your Sky'. **

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I DO own Alice and Thomas. **

**Please review!**

**Follow/Favorite if you feel so inclined, the epilogue is coming! **


	21. Epilogue

**A/N at the end. Song for this chapter is 'Little Games' by the Colourist. Warnings: Language, Angst. **

* * *

**Bruce**

He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he couldn't stay in New York.

He grabbed his bug-out bag from the closet and quickly made for the service elevator, unknowingly missing Alice by mere seconds as she burst from the elevator into the common area.

He nonchalantly walked out of the building and outside into the busy night life of New York City. He hailed a cab, going to the nearest used car dealership.

On the way, he threw his phone out the window. It had a tracking device on it. So did his Hulkrilic shorts, it was lucky that he wasn't wearing them right now.

He cleared his mind as he waited for the cab driver to take him to his destination. As the familiar walls came back up, he felt numb. Numb was good. Numb was better than furious.

He couldn't afford to think about her. Ever again.

* * *

**Alice**

"Tony, I didn't ask for Logan to kiss me. I didn't know!"

"No, no, no…you NEVER know do you?"

She sobbed loudly, but the man she once thought of as one of her closest friends had no compassion.

"Stark, you can't—"Steve began.

"I can do whatever the fuck I want to do, Rogers. I'm fucking pissed. Not only is my best friend gone without a trace, he's a fucking fugitive and it's all HER FAULT!" he gestured aggressively, jumping a little when he did.

Alice sobbed again.

"SHIELD's going to be after his ass now and it's up to us to find him before they do. All because she couldn't keep her lips to herself."

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Steve demanded, his eyes narrow.

"I-I didn't ask for him to—"she began again.

"Well, la-de-da. What DID you do? Give him your little sob story about how nobody understands you? Bat your eyelashes for effect?"

"Tony, please let me explain…" she pleaded, her face felt hot and her heart was racing.

"Well, I guess if you're talking, you won't be making out with another guy, will you?"

She felt her hands start to itch. She narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, Alice. I'm just completely blindsided by this. I mean, it's so unlike you to start a new relationship before the old one's completely over…oh wait," he cocked his head to the side, smirking.

She tried to control her breathing, but she couldn't. She let out a yell, her hand sparked and she let loose a gamma bolt directly towards Tony.

Luckily, Steve stuck his shield out, deflecting the bolt away from Tony's head and towards the brand new armor he was making. It exploded in a ball of green flame.

Alice's mouth hung open. She couldn't believe she'd done that.

"That's FINE. Stress test was the next part of the process anyway," Tony said obstinately.

Steve pulled his fist back and punched Tony square in the face.

"ARRRGHH…" Tony cried out, holding his face in his hands. "WHAT THE FUCK, MAN?"

"That bolt could have killed you, so I deflected it. But you still deserved to be hit with something."

"You could have at least held back a little," he whined, his voice still muffled.

"I did," said Steve. He turned towards Alice, "Now that that's over, what do you think we should do?"

"Oh gee, I think we should just let him roam the countryside. Free-range Hulk!" Tony quipped sardonically. He pulled back his hand to look at it, checking for blood. There was none.

"I wasn't asking YOU," said Steve.

Tony scoffed, "SHE'S the reason he's gone! Forget this; I'm going to go find him now. If I hurry, I can catch up to him." He limped over to where he had a finished suit.

"Why are you limping? I punched you in the face…"

"Shut it, Old Timer," he said as he suited up and flew out the side of the lab.

Steve sighed, turning back to Alice. "What do you want to do?" he reiterated.

"I don't want to go sit in the empty apartment and wait," she said definitively.

"Do you want to go look for him? I'll come with you."

"Steve…you can't. You have things to do here and…"

"Nothing more important than a renegade Hulk."

"Still, though…Tony…"

"He won't find him. He doesn't know him as well as you do."

"We don't have a car or anything…"

Steve looked down on the counter between them. He picked up Tony's keys, grinning. "We do now."

"But…"

Steve picked up Tony's wallet and counted out the cash he had inside. He put half back in. "And gas money. Come on. No excuses. Go pack a bag and let's go."

Alice laughed weakly. "Never thought I'd see the day where Captain America burglarized Iron Man."

Steve scoffed, "Barely. He won't even miss it. Plus, you know he's going to head up Operation: Find Bruce."

"He's going to have a better name for it, though. Like: Operation: Find Bruce and Alice is a whore," she said flatly.

"Alice…" Steve chastised gently. He reached out to pat her shoulder supportively.

Tony was right it WAS her fault. She couldn't understand why Steve was being so nice to her.

"Why are YOU on my side, though?"

"I know how much you love Bruce and if you say you didn't ask for it, I believe you. Plus, I wouldn't put it past Logan to take advantage of someone who was vulnerable."

"It wasn't only Logan's fault. I let him. I even kissed him back a little…" she confessed again.

"But you're sorry. You don't have to be constantly punished for your mistakes, Alice. Everyone makes them…Come on, let's go," he steered her over to the door of the lab.

She shuddered, cold suddenly. But for a different reason than she usually was.

She was alone. Really. Truly. Alone. It felt like a part of her body was missing. She wondered absently if she'd have phantom pains like if she lost a limb.

She knew just where it would hurt.

They took the elevator up to the apartments in silence.

"Go. Pack. See you back here in 15," said Steve.

Alice walked down the hall.

She opened the door to their apartment. It was hard to breathe.

She packed. Bare essentials.

She looked around the apartment as little as possible. It still smelled like him here. She left quickly before she broke down crying and became immobile.

She hurried back down the hall to wait for Steve. She almost ran.

She didn't look back. She couldn't.

She set her bag on the big table, but didn't sit down.

He joined her presently, smiling reassuringly.

It helped to calm her a little.

They got into the elevator to go down to the garage.

"We'll find him," he promised.

She could only nod and give him a tight-lipped smile as the doors closed.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**So what we can pull from this epilogue: Bruce is gone. No one knows where. Alice is broken. Tony blames her. Steve doesn't. Alice agrees with Tony. **

**The next installment, 'Open Up Your Sky', will be posted soon. I can't give an exact date, but I need at LEAST a week to get the first chapter ready. It will be weekly updates. **

**Some questions you probably have: **

_**Did Bruce Hulk out after seeing Logan and Alice? **_  
**No. He didn't because Alice was siphoning a LARGE amount from him. He probably won't be able to Hulk out for at least a day after he leaves. We'll see how he handles himself without her. **

_**Did Alice want Logan to kiss her?**_  
**No. She was depressed and suicidal, I think the last thing on her mind was 'getting some'. What I do think, however, is that since kissing releases endorphins, which her body was starved for, she acted out of necessity. It's very likely that if she'd taken Bruce up on his offers to cuddle, she wouldn't have been so starved for endorphins. Poor Alice. **

**_Is Alice going to seek help for her depression?_ **  
**Yes. I don't think this spoils anything for the third installment. She's obviously going to need some professional help. Most likely, Professor Xavier will be returning for cameos throughout the next installment. **

**I feel bad, because I don't have a sneak peek ready for you, so I'll let you in on a little plot point that's going to be covered in 'Open Up Your Sky'. We're going to learn more about Alice's childhood, meet her Pops and her best friend from childhood. OUYS is going to be more fluff and relationship stuff, whereas Green Eyes was more angst and action. I'm excited for it. Anyway, I'll see you guys soon!**

**As always, I don't own any of the Marvel Universe, but I do own Alice.**

**Please review!**

**Follow/Favorite if you feel so inclined. Make sure to follow/favorite me as an author to get updates on the third installment! Thanks so much guys, I love you all!**

EDIT: Third installment is now up! Enjoy!


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